Indications
1) Surgical and post operative analgesia and anesthesia.
2) Diagnostic block
Deferential neural block to evaluate the type of pain syndrome in head, neck, shoulder and upper extremity pain. It is also an important to for neurolytic procedures.
3) Traumatic pain
Pain of trauma in the region of head, neck, face, shoulder and upper extremity can be reveled by cervical epidural block.
4) Pain of acute herpes zoster.
5) Herniated discs /Nerve root irritation
Cervical radiculopathy with pain in the neck and upper extremity can be relived by cervical epidural block.
6) Sympathetically medicated pain
CRPS-I, CRPS-II, post herpetic neuralgia, RSD, shoulder hand syndrome, phantom limb pain, post laminectomy syndrome can be relived by cervical epidural block.
7) Cancer pain.
Technique
It can be administrated the midline as well as paramedical approach. Patient position may be sitting, prone or lateral. cervical epidural catheter may be placed when we need prolonged analgesia.
Complications
Complications are rare in experienced hand it is less than 0.5% . Complications of thoracic epidural technique are rare in expert hands. Potential complications are infection, hematoma, injury to the nerve roots, respiratory depression, sub-arachnoid/subdural injection of drugs etc. Potential complications are infection, hematoma, injury to the nerve roots, respiratory depression, sub-arachnoid/subdural injection of drugs etc.