Prospective Study of Celiac Block Injection: 1 vs. 2

A Prospective Study of Celiac Block Technique: One Injection or Two?

The purpose of this prospective randomized study is to compare the clinical effectiveness of EUS-guided CB performed with a single injection versus two injections of medication into the celiac ganglion region.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with chronic abdominal pain from documented chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer that are referred for EUS-guided celiac block will be eligible to participate in this study. Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer must be measured and documented by prior CT, ERCP, or EUS.
• Patients should not have significant co-morbidities such as uncontrolled heart failure, or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that would limit survivability of the sedation given or the procedure.
• Age > or = to 18 years
• No evidence of significant active infection (ie. pneumonia, peritonitis, wound sepsis, etc)
• No evidence of serious ongoing illness such as uncontrolled metabolic disease (diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, etc)
• No evidence of dementia or altered mental status that would prohibit the giving and understanding of informed consent, and no evidence of psychiatric risk that would preclude adequate compliance with this protocol.
• Patient must provide signed written informed consent.
• Patients that have had a previous celiac plexus block are eligible for this study

Exclusion Criteria:

• The patient's celiac trunk should be imaged clearly under endoscopic ultrasound. The patient's celiac plexus should be accessed easily with a needle for the medication injection. If this cannot be done safely due to the patient's anatomy (intervening blood vessel or tumor), the patient will not be eligible for the procedure or study.