Effectiveness of the superior hypogastric plexus neurolytic block in the management of pelvic abdominal pain in adult patients diagnosed with cancer: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Introduction: severe oncological pain occurs in up to 60% of pelvic abdominal cancer patients, being refractory to medical management in up to 30% of cases. in 1990, the superior hypogastric plexus neurolytic block (sHPB) was described for the control of pain in these patients. this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique for the control of oncological pain. Methodology: studies that evaluated the effectiveness of the sHPB using the classic or transdiscal approach in adult patients with oncological abdominal-pelvic pain were systematically reviewed. A search was conducted in PubMed, eMBAse and scopus from January 1, 1990, to August 31, 2019, without a language restriction. the visual analog scale (vAs), morphine milligram equivalents (MMe) per day, quality of life and presence of complications were recorded. the quality of the studies was evaluated using the Jadad and ottawa-newcastle scales.