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Endoscopic Ultrasound Case 4
A 53 year old male with pancreatic cancer presented with severe abdominal and back pain not relieved with high doses of narcotic pain medications. He had no appetite and also suffered from pain medication side effects of constipation, nausea, and drowsiness. An endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) was performed and the celiac ganglion nerve which transmits pain signal was injected with alcohol and bupivacaine for pain relief. His pain severity decreased from 10 to 4 and was well controlled with only small doses of vicodin. His quality of life was significantly improved. He no longer suffers from constipation and medication-induced drowsiness and was able to regain some of his appetite and weight.
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| Fig 1. Celiac ganglion identified on EUS | ||
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| Fig 2. EUS-guided fine needle celiac nerve block | ||