Superior Hypogastric Plexus

Superior Hypogastric Plexus

Most pain sensations from your pelvis first pass through bundle of nerves called a plexus. Superior hypogastric plexus block is an injection in your back of a local anesthetic (like Novocain) in the area of a nerve plexus which goes to (innervates) the organs in your pelvis.

A superior hypogastric plexus block is performed for the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic pain. Often, the block is first performed with a local anesthetic which temporarily "blocks" the plexus. When the local anesthetic wears off, it is likely that the pain will return, although in some people, even temporarily blocking the pain sensations can result in sustained relief. f you achieve good temporary relief with the local anesthetic block, the injection can and may be repeated using a different drug (alcohol or phenol ) which will damage the nerve plexus, thus blocking the nerves for a long time. This is called a neurolytic (nerve destruction) block.

The block will take between 30 and 45 minutes to be performed. An IV is first placed in your arm. You will be placed face down (prone) on the fluoroscopy (X-ray) table. Your back will be cleansed with an antiseptic solution and then numbed with a local anesthetic. The doctor will use X-ray to help guide the placement of the needle(s). Dye will be injected first to assure correct placement of the needle(s). Then, the local anesthetic will be injected and the needle(s) removed. Next, you will be taken to the recovery area where your blood pressure and heart rate will be monitored.

Note:

Neurolytic blocks are usually not performed for cases of chronic benign pain because of the fact that nerve destructive procedures with alcohol should not be performed on multiple occasions. There is also possibility of post-ablation neuritis. Your doctor will discuss these with you in detail.