Comparative Study of Three Different Volumes if Alcohol in Trans-Aortic Celiac Plexus Block.

Background: Pain remains a significant challenge for cancer patients. Upper abdominal cancer patients often experience severe visceral pain, profoundly impacting their quality of life. In such cases, minimally invasive pain interventions like celiac plexus neurolysis may be necessary to alleviate the debilitating pain and improve overall wellbeing. Objective: Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various volumes of 70% alcohol (40 ml, 30 ml, 20 ml) for neurolytic celiac plexus block in alleviating pain associated with upper abdominal tumors. Patients and Methods: at the Anesthesia, ICU and Pain Management Department of Al Menoufia University Hospital, and the Pain Therapy Unit at Tanta Cancer Center, spanning one year. Ninety patients of both sexes who were suffering from non-resectable upper abdominal tumors were enrolled in the study. Results: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores exhibited a significant decrease for 12 months in all groups with the degree of relief being directly proportional to the volume of the neurolytic agent. Additionally, there was a noteworthy reduction in tramadol requirements observed up to 12 months in both Group I and group II, and up to 5 months only for Group III. Furthermore, Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) scores were markedly decreased in Group III compared to other two groups, but it was better in group I than in group II from 4th month onward. Conclusion: Administration of 40 ml and 30 ml of 70% alcohol yielded significant outcomes compared to the use of 20 ml of 70% alcohol. Furthermore, the use of 40 ml of 70% alcohol demonstrated superior results when compared to 30 ml in terms of the duration of pain relief, opioid consumption, and overall QOL improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]