Qian Liu1, Ashish Khanna2, Michael D Stubblefield3, Guang H Yue4,5, Didier Allexandre4,5. 1. Institute of Neuroscience, Basic Medical College, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China. qianliu@cqmu.edu.cn. 2. Department of Cancer Rehabilitation, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, 1365 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. 3. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Select Medical, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, 1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, 07052, USA. 4. Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research, Kessler Foundation, 1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, 07052, USA. 5. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 183 S. Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Persistent post-mastectomy pain (PPMP) is common after surgery. Although multiple modalities have been used to treat this type of pain, including medications, physical therapy, exercise interventions, cognitive-behavioral psychology, psychosocial interventions, and interventional approaches, managing PPMP may be still a challenge for breast cancer survivors. Currently, serratus plane block (SPB) as a novel regional anesthetic technique shows promising results for controlling chronic pain. METHODS: We report four cases of patients with PPMP that were treated using superficial serratus plane block (SSPB) at our clinic. A retrospective review of effect of pain relief was collected through postprocedure interviews. RESULTS: We found that two of our patients were successfully treated with SSPB for pain after treatment for breast cancer. The third patient had an intercostobrachial nerve block that produced incomplete pain relief but had adequate pain relief with a SSPB. However, the fourth patient reported no pain relief after SSPB. CONCLUSION: These cases illustrate that the patients with PPMP could benefit from SSPB. Particularly, we find patients with a subjective sense of "tightness" relating to reconstructive surgeries may be a good candidate for SSPB. Further studies are warranted to evaluate this block for PPMP, as it is low risk and relatively simple to perform.
BACKGROUND: Persistent post-mastectomy pain (PPMP) is common after surgery. Although multiple modalities have been used to treat this type of pain, including medications, physical therapy, exercise interventions, cognitive-behavioral psychology, psychosocial interventions, and interventional approaches, managing PPMP may be still a challenge for breast cancer survivors. Currently, serratus plane block (SPB) as a novel regional anesthetic technique shows promising results for controlling chronic pain. METHODS: We report four cases of patients with PPMP that were treated using superficial serratus plane block (SSPB) at our clinic. A retrospective review of effect of pain relief was collected through postprocedure interviews. RESULTS: We found that two of our patients were successfully treated with SSPB for pain after treatment for breast cancer. The third patient had an intercostobrachial nerve block that produced incomplete pain relief but had adequate pain relief with a SSPB. However, the fourth patient reported no pain relief after SSPB. CONCLUSION: These cases illustrate that the patients with PPMP could benefit from SSPB. Particularly, we find patients with a subjective sense of "tightness" relating to reconstructive surgeries may be a good candidate for SSPB. Further studies are warranted to evaluate this block for PPMP, as it is low risk and relatively simple to perform.