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Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block

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Comprehensive Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical, Interventional, and Integrative Approaches

Abstract

A certain mystique surrounds the sphenopalatine ganglion as it seemingly rests in the middle of the head but is readily accessible for neural blockade. The sphenopalatine ganglion block is an older and relatively simple pain management block for treatment of headache (cluster and migraine) and facial neuralgias. Since it is localized to the back of the nasopharynx, it can be approached externally through the nares by using cotton pledgets soaked with local anesthetic to anesthetize this region. This simple approach has even been taught to headache sufferers to manage their own pain control at home. Despite the ease of blockade, only recently has interest in the block been resurrected.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford Pain Medicine Center, 450 Broadway Street, Redwood City, CA, 94063, USA

    Michael S. Leong M.D.

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Michael S. Leong M.D.

  3. Stanford Pain Management Center, 450 Broadway Street, Redwood City, CA, 94063, USA

    Mark P. Gjolaj M.D., M.B.A.

  4. Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, 450 Broadway Street, Redwood City, CA, 94063, USA

    Mark P. Gjolaj M.D., M.B.A.

  5. Division of Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Mark P. Gjolaj M.D., M.B.A.

  6. HELP Pain Medical Network, 1900 O’Farrell Street, Ste 250, San Mateo, CA, 94403, USA

    Raymond R. Gaeta M.D.

Authors
  1. Michael S. Leong M.D.
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  2. Mark P. Gjolaj M.D., M.B.A.
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  3. Raymond R. Gaeta M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael S. Leong M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Pain Relief, Inc., West Virginia University, 400 Court Street, Suite 100, Charleston, 25301, West Virginia, USA

    Timothy R. Deer

  2. Stanford Pain Management Center, Redwood City, CA, Clinic Chief, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, 94065, California, USA

    Michael S. Leong

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, Rush Medical College, Professor, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, 60612, Illinois, USA

    Asokumar Buvanendran

  4. Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, 17033-0850, Pennsylvania, USA

    Vitaly Gordin

  5. Center for Interventional Pain and Spine, Newark, DE USA, Medical Director, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, 19010, Pennsylvania, USA

    Philip S. Kim

  6. President, National Institute of Pain, Tampa, 33558, Florida, USA

    Sunil J. Panchal

  7. The LITE Center, Clinical Associate Professor, Medical Director, School of Medicine, Miami, 33143, Florida, USA

    Albert L. Ray

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© 2013 American Academy of Pain Medicine

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Leong, M.S., Gjolaj, M.P., Gaeta, R.R. (2013). Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block. In: Deer, T., et al. Comprehensive Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical, Interventional, and Integrative Approaches. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1560-2_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1560-2_28

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-1559-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-1560-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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