We experienced a case of dyspnea caused by deep cervical hematoma following stellate ganglion block (SGB). A 79-year-old male underwent SGB due to headache caused by herpes zoster of the trigeminal nerve. He developed dyspnea three hours after SGB, and consulted our hospital. CT revealed a deep cervical hematoma of the retropharyngeal space. After intubation, he was operated on emergently under general anesthesia and the hematoma was removed. Two days after the operation, the hematoma was relieved, and so he underwent decannulation. After the decannulation, dyspnea was resolved.
Cervical hematoma following SGB is rare, but a life-threatening complication. And so we believe patients should be admitted when they underwent SGB.
After hematoma formation, when the airway is maintained by intubation or tracheotomy, hematoma removal should be undergone if there are sufficient staff with adequire skills, because we can expect that patients recover quickly and therefore have a short hospital stay.