Continuous stellate ganglion block for neurovascular headache and associated anxiety and depression

Figure 1 Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score changes over time following stellate ganglion block treatment. The graph illustrates the dynamic changes in Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores from baseline through 3 months post-treatment (n = 126). The blue line represents mean SAS scores with standard deviations at each time point, while green bars indicate the percentage reduction from baseline. SAS scores significantly decreased from baseline 52.4 ± 8.3 to 1 week 48.6 ± 8.1 (7.3% reduction, t = 4.87, P < 0.001), with further improvement at 1 month 43.6 ± 7.8 (16.8% reduction, t = 11.24, P < 0.001). The optimal therapeutic effect was achieved at 1-month post-treatment and maintained stably through 3 months (44.2 ± 8.0, 15.6% reduction, t = 10.68, P < 0.001), with no significant difference between 1 month and 3 months (t = 0.64, P = 0.523). Data presented as mean ± SD. Statistical significance determined by paired t-tests. SAS: Self-Rating Anxiety Scale.

Figure 2 Univariate analysis of prognostic factors affecting stellate ganglion block treatment efficacy. This figure presents univariate analysis results of potential prognostic factors associated with treatment efficacy. Treatment outcome at 3 months post-treatment (markedly effective and above vs effective and below) was used as the dependent variable. The red dashed line indicates the significance threshold at P = 0.05. Results show that age (P = 0.342), gender (P = 0.518), body mass index (P = 0.627), and headache type (P = 0.286) had no significant correlation with efficacy. However, disease duration (P = 0.008), baseline headache frequency (P = 0.012), medication overuse (P = 0.003), baseline Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score (P = 0.021), and baseline Self-Rating Depression Scale score (P = 0.015) were significantly correlated with efficacy. Variables with P < 0.10 were included in subsequent multivariate logistic regression analysis. Purple bars represent statistically significant factors (P < 0.05), while gray bars represent non-significant factors. BMI: Body mass index; SAS: Self-Rating Anxiety Scale; SDS: Self-Rating Depression Scale.

Figure 3 Minor adverse reactions in stellate ganglion block treatment. Frequency of minor adverse reactions observed in 756 ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block procedures. Local pain at puncture site (n = 32), transient hoarseness (n = 18), transient dysphagia (n = 12), and dizziness (n = 8) were documented. All reactions resolved spontaneously without intervention.