Celiac Plexus Block in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Abstract

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs), an uncommon finding, are distinct from pancreatic carcinomas. When pNETs are unresectable and progressive, visceral pain often presents and is challenging to treat. Opioids commonly used for pain control are difficult to implement in this setting because of adverse side effects such as constipation. Neurolytic celiac plexus blocks are indicated in the treatment of visceral pain related to upper abdominal malignancies when opioid analgesia does not provide adequate relief or is contraindicated because of side effects. As a result, this article presents a brief review of pNETs, celiac plexus blocks, associated side effects, and contraindications along with related literature in the context of a case study.

Comparative evaluation of retrocrural versus transaortic neurolytic celiac plexus block for pain relief in patients with upper abdominal malignancy: A retrospective observational study

“…NCPB is the most widely used interventional procedure for upper abdominal pain relief with demonstrated efficacy for patients with malignant and chronic nonmalignant pain. It has been shown to provide a long lasting benefit for 70-90% of patients with pancreatic and intraabdominal cancers[ 3 ] with the benefit ranging from 50 days till up to the time of death. [ 4 ] All our patients who received NCPB, irrespective of the technique used, demonstrated a significant reduction in visual analog scale scores following the procedure, thus reaffirming the efficacy of NCPB.…”