Successful use of stellate ganglion phototherapy in refractory ventricular tachycardia in a patient with cardiac sarcoidosis

Abstract

Ventricular arrhythmias are a life-threatening factor in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), posing a significant therapeutic challenge. Stellate ganglion phototherapy (SGP), a non-invasive procedure for modification of the sympathetic nervous system, is an effective treatment for refractory ventricular tachycardia (RVT). However, there are limited data on the efficacy of SGP for RVT in patients with CS. In our case report, we found that SGP was effective for treating RVT in a patient with CS. We present the case of a man in his 60s with multiple cardioversions of implantable cardioverter defibrillator for ventricular tachycardia. The patient was administered prednisolone for the management of CS, which subsequently led to an increase in anti-tachycardia pacing for ventricular tachycardias. We introduced SGP to suppress RVT and anti-tachycardia pacing decreased from 371 to 25 events. Thus, SGP could be a feasible option for the management of RVT in patients with CS.