What is a Ganglion Impar Injection?
For those who suffer from severe perineal pain, a ganglion impar injection may be the perfect procedure to alleviate their discomfort.
What is a Ganglion Impar Injection?
The purpose of a ganglion impar injection is to manage chronic pain in the genital, pelvic, visceral, perineal, and anal areas. Many of the candidates of this procedure frequently complain of a burning sensation with urination and/or defecation. The ganglion impar injection will stop the discomfort that is linked to the bundle of nerves that are receiving the pain.
How does the Procedure Work?
The ganglion impar injection is performed with the patient laying face down. The doctor will most likely place a pillow under the patient’s pelvis to ensure that the lower back resembles a flat surface. Next, the area of injection is numbed with local anesthetic. The doctor then uses fluoroscopy to guide the needle into the ganglion impar, which is a bundle of nerves that receives the pain associated with the distal urethra, vulva, perineum, and distal rectum.
There are two different types of blocks that may be used to treat the pain in the ganglion impar area.
Diagnostic Block: These blocks are primarily used for non-cancer related pain. The procedure consist of a steroid injection to ensure that the ganglion impar is really causing the patient severe discomfort. A diagnostic block is typically performed twice.
Therapeutic Blocks: These blocks use a neurolytic agent to treat the pain at the source. Therapeutic blocks are usually performed only once.
A ganglion impar injection is typically 15 minutes, and most people inform their doctors that the pain relief has lasted many weeks and even years.
What are the Potential Benefits?
As a minimally invasive procedure, the ganglion impar injection can be performed in the doctor’s office. Because there are numerous pelvic structures that have nerve fibers that travel through the ganglion of impar, a block performed in this area can treat many areas of pain simultaneously. After the procedure, most patients can expect between 50 to 100 percent pain relief from the injection.
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