Pulsed Radiofrequency Ablation of Bilateral Stellate Ganglion in a Patient with Bilateral Upper Limb Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-induced Peripheral Vascular Disease

Pain is the most characteristic symptom of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and often the most debilitating. Apart from treatment of the cause of PVD, pain can be managed by analgesics or minimally invasive sympathetic ganglion blocks. We report the management of severe pain in a 33-year-old female, who presented with bilateral upper limb chronic ischemia secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus, by bilateral stellate ganglion pulsed radiofrequency (RF) ablation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing pulsed RF ablation of bilateral stellate ganglion for the management of pain and to prevent the progression of gangrene in PVD.