Intravenous reginoal sympathectomy with guanethidine

Intravenous regional sympathetic block with guanethidine (IRS) was used for the relief of pain in the lower extremity caused by arteriosclerosis obliterans in two patients. IRSs were done in combination with other treatments which included prostaglandins, epidural block and/or lumber sympathetic alcohol block. Pains were relieved with IRS, but the durations of pain relief were variable from a few days to two weeks. In one patient whose pain was relieved for about two months, IRS was accompanied by an increase over 1 ℃ in skin and deep tempertures. These was no transient hypertension or orthostatic hypotension with IRS. IRS may bue used for the treatment of pain caused by arteriosclerosis obliterans, but its short duration necessitates further improvement of technique.