A study compared ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) and stellate ganglion block (SGB) for chronic upper arm pain treatment. TPVB was found to be more effective, providing better pain relief and increasing hand temperature more significantly. In the study, TPVB showed higher success rates in providing nerve block and resulted in lower pain scores compared to SGB. Both groups experienced pain relief at 20 minutes post-procedure and at 1 and 4 weeks follow-ups. The study suggests that TPVB using local anesthetic alone could be a diagnostic block for sympathetically maintained pain in the upper extremities. Limitations include different injection volumes between groups and small study populations.
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