Predictive factors for pain relief after endoscopic ultrasound-guided celiac plexus neurolysis

Celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) is an established treatment for upper abdominal cancer pain. Recently, endoscopic ultrasound-guided CPN (EUS-CPN) was introduced and has enabled the performance of CPN under real-time imaging guidance, thereby making this technique much safer and easier. However, this procedure is not always efficacious, and a limited number of patients benefit from it. It should not be recommended for patients suspected of having unfavorable outcomes. We determined the predictive factors for response to EUS-CPN in order to enable rational selection of the therapeutic strategy.

Forty-seven consecutive patients who underwent EUS-CPN at our institutions were eligible for this study. Absolute ethanol containing a contrast medium was injected just above the origin of the celiac trunk from the aorta under real-time EUS guidance, and abdominal computed tomography was performed immediately after the procedure to evaluate the distribution of the injected ethanol. The efficacy in pain relief was evaluated based on the pain score at day 7 after EUS-CPN.

Pain relief was obtained in 32 patients (68.1%). Multivariate analysis using a multiple logistic regression model revealed that direct invasion of the celiac plexus and distribution of ethanol only on the left side of the celiac artery were significant factors for a negative response to EUS-CPN (odds ratio = 4.82 and 8.67, P = 0.0387 and 0.0224, respectively).

EUS-CPN seems to be less effective in patients with direct invasion of the celiac plexus. Ethanol should be injected on both sides of the celiac axis to obtain greater pain relief.