Stellate ganglion block refers to the injection of local anesthetic drugs into tissues around and near SG to regulate the tension of the sympathetic nervous system, inhibit the outflow of the sympathetic nerve in the innervation area of the stellate ganglion to the ipsilateral head, neck, chest and upper limb, and finally achieve the role of regulating the autonomic nervous system, circulatory system, endocrine system and immune system of the human body to maintain dynamic balance. It is used to treat a variety of pain and non-pain diseases.

Heart rate variability is an important index to measure the tone and balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. Heart rate variability can reflect the sympathomympathetic nerve function of patients with anxiety disorder.

The insular cortex is the most important cortical region that controls sympathetic and parasympathetic mediated cardiovascular regulation and plays a key role in maintaining body homeostasis. However, a recent study found that the change of heart rate in mice can affect anxiety symptoms through the insular cortex, so it is speculated that SGB may induce the change of insular cortex activity by regulating the activity of sympathetic nervous system, thus alleviating anxiety symptoms.

In this study, Numeric Rating Scale was used to explore the efficacy of stellate ganglion block in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The scale consists of 11 numbers from 0 to 10. Patients use 11 numbers, from 0 to 10, to describe the intensity of the pain, and the higher the number, the worse the pain. 0 means no pain, 1 to 3 means mild pain (pain does not affect sleep), 4 to 6 means moderate pain, 7 to 9 means severe pain (can not fall asleep or wake up in sleep), and 10 means severe pain.

In this study, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale was used to explore the efficacy of stellate ganglion block in the treatment of anxiety disorders.There are 14 items in the scale, and all items are scored with a 5-level scoring method ranging from 0 to 4 points. The sum of the scores of each item is the total score of the scale. A total score of <7 indicates no anxiety symptoms, a score of 7-13 indicates possible anxiety symptoms, a score of 14-20 indicates certain anxiety symptoms, a score of 21-28 indicates obvious anxiety symptoms, and a score of ≥29 indicates possible severe anxiety symptoms.