Im anxious tonight! In the morning Im undergoing an outpatient procedure looking to relieve my pancreatic pain. It is called a celiac plexus block. Below is information about the procedure. Pray for me. Pray with me! What is a celiac plexus block? A celiac plexus block is an injection of local anesthetic into or around the celiac plexus of nerves that surrounds the aorta, the main artery in the abdomen. Normally these nerves control basic nerve functions. In certain conditions, these nerves can carry pain information from the gut or abdominal organ tissues back to the spinal cord and brain. What is the purpose of a celiac plexus block? A celiac plexus block is performed to block the celiac plexus of nerves that go various organs and parts of the abdomen. This may in turn reduce pain in the abdomen. It is done as a part of the treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis and other types of Chronic Abdominal Pain. How is the celiac plexus block performed? It is done with the patient lying on stomach. The patients are monitored with EKG, blood pressure cuff and an oxygen-monitoring device. The celiac plexus block is performed under sterile conditions. The skin on back is cleaned with antiseptic solution and the skin is then numbed with a local anesthetic. Then X-ray is used to guide the needle or needles into the proper position along the outside of the spine. Once in place, a test dose of dye is used to confirm that the injected medication will spread in an appropriate area. If this is okay, the injection takes place gradually over several minutes. The physician will use the X-ray to evaluate the spread of the injected medication. When a sufficient area is covered, the injection will be over. When done, the needle is removed and a Band Aid is applied. What should I expect after the celiac plexus block? Immediately after the injection, you may feel your abdomen getting warm or feeling a bit different. In addition, you may notice that your abdominal pain may be gone or quite less. You may also notice some temporary weakness or numbness in the abdominal wall or leg, although this is actually not a desired effect of a celiac plexus block.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 06:28:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015