A celiac-plexus block would NOT effectively treat pain resulting from a malignancy involving which organ?

A celiac-plexus block would NOT effectively treat pain resulting from a malignancy involving which organ?

• A. Uterus
• B. Adrenal gland
• C. Stomach
• D. Pancreas

Answer: (A)

Pain relief with a celiac plexus block relies on interrupting the sympathetic afferents that travel to foregut organs. The stomach, pancreas, and nearby upper abdominal structures receive their visceral pain fibers through the celiac plexus, so blocking it can effectively lessen pain from cancers in those organs. The uterus, on the other hand, gets its visceral innervation from pelvic nerves and the inferior/superior hypogastric plexuses, not through the celiac plexus. Therefore a celiac plexus block would not adequately treat pain from uterine cancer. For uterine pain, pelvic plexus–targeted approaches would be more appropriate.

Pain relief with a celiac plexus block relies on interrupting the sympathetic afferents that travel to foregut organs. The stomach, pancreas, and nearby upper abdominal structures receive their visceral pain fibers through the celiac plexus, so blocking it can effectively lessen pain from cancers in those organs. The uterus, on the other hand, gets its visceral innervation from pelvic nerves and the inferior/superior hypogastric plexuses, not through the celiac plexus. Therefore a celiac plexus block would not adequately treat pain from uterine cancer. For uterine pain, pelvic plexus–targeted approaches would be more appropriate.