What is a celiac plexus block?
Celiac plexus blocks are injections of pain medication that help relieve abdominal pain, commonly due to cancer, Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, or chronic pancreatitis.
The celiac plexus block is also a diagnostic tool to allow for a celiac neurolytic block for greater duration of relief – especially in cancer patients.
The celiac plexus (CP) is a bundle of nerves that surrounds the aorta, the main artery into your abdomen.
The plexus is interconnected by a dense mesh-like network of nerves from the following organs:
- Upper abdominal viscera
- Distal esophagus
- Stomach to the mid-transverse colon
- Pancreas
- Kidneys
- Gall bladder
- Adrenals
- Portions of the small bowel
- Liver
Blocking these nerves from carrying pain information can help you stop feeling pain in your abdomen.
Conditions Treated:
- Diagnostic block to differentiate source of pain
- Pancreatic cancer
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- Abdominal visceral pain syndrome
- Upper abdominal malignancies
- Retroperitoneal malignancies
- Hepatobiliary disorders, including biliary sphincteric disorder
- Abdominal angina
- Pancreatitis, acute or chronic
