Improvement of acral circulation in a patient with systemic sclerosis with stellate blocks

We report on a 77-year-old male patient with systemic sclerosis. He suffered from secondary Raynaud's phenomenon on the basis of systemic sclerosis. Medical treatment in the past, including the administration of calcium-channel blockers, pentoxifylline and intravenous prostaglandin therapy, was unsuccessful and the clinical situation became worse. In a final effort stellate blocks were performed over a period of several weeks and, for the first time, there was lasting clinical benefit. Complaints and Raynaud's attacks abated significantly, as documented by local cold exposure tests. Therapeutic benefit from stellate blocks in a patient with systemic sclerosis is described here for the first time.