Evidence-Based Reviews

Interventional psychiatry (Part 1)

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References

SGBs were first performed 100 years ago and reported to have beneficial psychiatric effects at the end of the 1940s. In 1998 in Finland, improvement of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms was observed accidentally via thoracic level spine blocks.85 In 2006, cervical level sympathetic blocks were shown to be effective for PTSD symptom control.86 By the end of 2010, Veterans Administration hospitals adopted SGBs to treat veterans with PTSD.87,88 The first multisite, randomized clinical trial of SGB for PTSD confirmed multiple previous reports of treatment efficacy. Specifically, 2 SGB treatments 2 weeks apart effectively reduced total symptom severity scores over 8 weeks.87

Since the stellate ganglion is connected to the amygdala, SGB has also been assessed for treating anxiety and depression.89,90 Outside of PTSD, SGBs are used to treat complex regional pain syndrome,91 phantom limb pain, trigeminal neuralgia,92 intractable angina,93 and postherpetic neuralgia in the head, neck, upper chest, or arms.94 The procedure consists of an injection of a local anesthetic through a 25-gauge needle into the stellate sympathetic ganglion at the C6 or C7 vertebral levels. An injection into C6 is considered safer because of specific cervical spine anatomy. Ideally, fluoroscopic guidance or ultrasound is used to guide needle insertion.95

A severe drop in blood pressure may be associated with SGBs and is mitigated by IV hydration. Other adverse effects include red eyes, drooping of the eyelids, nasal congestion, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, a sensation of a “lump” in the throat, and a sensation of warmth or tingling in the arm or hand. Bilateral SGB is contraindicated due to the danger of respiratory arrest.96

Glabellar BT injections

OnabotulinumtoxinA (BT) injection was first approved for therapeutic use in 1989 for eye muscle disorders such as strabismus97 and blepharospasm.98 It was later approved for several other indications, including cosmetic use, hyperhidrosis, migraine prevention, neurogenic bladder disorder, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, and spasticity.99-104 BT is used off-label for achalasia and sialorrhea.105,106 Its mechanism of action is primarily attributed to muscle paralysis by blocking presynaptic acetylcholine release into neuromuscular junctions.107

Facial BT injections are usually administered for cosmetic purposes, but smoothing forehead wrinkles and frown lines (the glabellar region of the face) both have antidepressant effects.108 BT injections into the glabellar region also demonstrate antidepressant effects, particularly in patients with comorbid migraines and MDD.109 Early case observations supported the independent benefit of the toxin on MDD when the toxin was injected into the glabellar region.110,111 The most frequent protocol involves injections in the procerus and corrugator muscles.

Continue to: The facial feedback/emotional proprioception hypothesis...

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