Curative effect analysis of intercostal nerve block guided by ultrasound in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia

Objective:To observe the clinical effects of intercostal nerve block guided by ultrasound in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia(PHN).Methods:Sixty patients with PHN were randomly divided into the group A and group B(30 cases each group).Group B was treated with intercostal nerve block guided by ultrasound combined with 10 mL of 1% ropivacaine,500 μg of vitamin B₁₂ and 25 mg of triamcinolone,and group A was treated with simple intercrostal nerve block using the same drug,once a week,3 weeks a course.The scores of risual analogue scale(VAS) and life quality before and after treatment,and effective rate of treatment between two groups were compared.Results:After treatment,the scores of VAS and life quality in two groups significantly decreased and increased compared with before treatment,respectively(P<0.01).After treatment,the decreasing degree of VAS score in group B was significantly higher than that in group A(P<0.01),and the increasing degree of life quality(including diet,sleep,mood,daily life and life interest) score in group B was significantly higher than that in group A(P<0.01).The pain remittence in group B was significantly better than that in group A after treatment(P<0.01).Conclusions:The intercostal nerve block guided by ultrasound in treating PHN is safe and high accuracy rate,which is worthy of promotion in clinic.