Celiac Blocks
Do you suffer from abdominal pain that has failed to improve with time and/or conservative therapy? If so you may be a candidate for this quick and simple treatment option.
Celiac Block Q&A
What is a Celiac Block?
Celiac blocks are injections of pain medication that help relieve abdominal pain. The celiac plexus is a bundle of nerves around the aorta, the main artery in your abdomen. Blocking these nerves can help you stop feeling pain in your abdomen.
What are the Benefits?
Treatments take only minutes to perform and the relief can be exceptional. This procedure can help relieve abdominal pain from cancer, post surgery, Crohns, ulcerative colitis, or pancreatitis.
How Does it Work?
The doctor will numb an area of skin on your back with a local anesthetic. Then, guided by an x-ray, he or she will insert the injection to the proper location. Once the physician is certain that the needle is in the correct position, the medicine is injected.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
How long the pain stays away is different for each patient. Patients that experience pain reduction, but still have some of their symptoms, may benefit from more injections. This injection is safe enough to receive additional injections until the patient no longer reports pain.
When Will I Feel Better?
Positive effects may be immediately or within the first day. A proportion of celiac plexus block patients will report an almost immediate reduction of pain, though many patients do not experience pain relief for 6 to 24 hours.
Is a Celiac Block Right for Me?
Patients most likely to benefit from receiving a celiac plexus block include those suffering from malignancies of the stomach, gallbladder, liver, colon and pancreas. Also, effective in pain relief from other conditions such as: Crohns, ulcerative colitis, or pancreatitis. We will schedule an appointment with one of our Board Certified Physicians, to see if this treatment is a good fit for you.