This procedure is an injection of anesthetic into the area of the stellate ganglion for treatment of neuropathies and pain in upper extremity, thorax, face, or neck. The mechanism of action of the stellate ganglion block is not completely clear, but it is thought to work by producing peripheral vasodilation, resulting in neural inhibition in the ganglion's sphere of innervations (Lipov et al., 2008). The procedure has been studied for the management of hot flashes and sleep-wake disturbances.

Lipov, E.G., Joshi, J.R., Sanders, S., Wilcox, K., Lipov, S., Xie, H., ... Slavin, K. (2008). Effects of stellate-ganglion block on hot flushes and night awakenings in survivors of breast cancer: A pilot study. Lancet Oncology, 9, 523–532. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(08)70131-1