Kalava Arun, Benyahia Steven A, Tico Calzada Ramon, Staat Christine M
Anesthesiology, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, USA.
Medical School, University of South Florida (USF) Health, Tampa, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Jun 25;15(6):e40929. doi: 10.7759/cureus.40929. eCollection 2023 Jun.
Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, including anosmia, parosmia, ageusia, and dysgeusia, are common long-term symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. These symptoms can have a severe impact on quality of life of a patient, including psychological well-being. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) has recently been explored as a potential therapeutic intervention for these symptoms. In this case series, we present six patients with long-term COVID-19 symptoms and we detail how their symptoms evolved after an SGB. All SGB were performed under ultrasound guidance by the same physician. Patients had a right SGB during the initial visit, followed by a left SGB at a subsequent visit. All but one patient reported improvements in olfaction and gustation after the SGB. Our findings suggest that SGB may be a promising therapeutic intervention for patients with olfactory and gustatory dysfunction related to long-term COVID-19 symptoms. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to explore the optimal treatment protocol.
嗅觉和味觉功能障碍,包括嗅觉丧失、嗅觉异常、味觉丧失和味觉障碍,是2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)感染常见的长期症状。这些症状会对患者的生活质量产生严重影响,包括心理健康。星状神经节阻滞(SGB)最近已被探索作为针对这些症状的一种潜在治疗干预措施。在这个病例系列中,我们介绍了6例有长期COVID-19症状的患者,并详细说明了他们在接受星状神经节阻滞后症状是如何演变的。所有星状神经节阻滞均由同一位医生在超声引导下进行。患者在初次就诊时接受右侧星状神经节阻滞,随后在后续就诊时接受左侧星状神经节阻滞。除1例患者外,所有患者在接受星状神经节阻滞后嗅觉和味觉均有改善。我们的研究结果表明,对于与长期COVID-19症状相关的嗅觉和味觉功能障碍患者,星状神经节阻滞可能是一种有前景的治疗干预措施。需要进一步研究来证实这些发现并探索最佳治疗方案。