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Referred ocular pain relieved by suboccipital injection
1Division of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195, USA.
Headache
|February 1, 1995
Summary
Cervical dysfunction can cause eye and periorbital pain. Subcutaneous injections of lidocaine and triamcinolone acetonide may diagnose and temporarily relieve this pain, offering a new treatment avenue.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Pain Management
Background:
- Ophthalmic disease is a well-documented source of eye pain.
- Cervical region dysfunction can also manifest as eye or periorbital pain.
- The trigeminal apparatus may be stimulated by cervical sensory root disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of subcutaneous lidocaine and triamcinolone acetonide injections for diagnosing and treating eye/periorbital pain attributed to cervical dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Twelve patients (11 female, 1 male; age 20-82) with eye/periorbital pain underwent comprehensive evaluation, including eye exams, lab tests, and neuroimaging.
- Patients with marked focal suboccipital tenderness ipsilateral to pain received subcutaneous injections of 2% lidocaine followed by 40 mg triamcinolone acetonide at the tender site.
Main Results:
- Five patients reported complete pain relief, five experienced partial relief, and two had no relief.
- Pain relief duration varied from several hours to 3 months.
- The procedure identified potential cervical involvement in eye pain.
Conclusions:
- Subcutaneous injections of lidocaine and triamcinolone acetonide can aid in diagnosing patients with eye/periorbital pain linked to cervical dysfunction.
- This treatment may provide temporary pain relief for select patients.