Ganglion Impar Block

The Ganglion Of Impar is a bundle of nerves that sits in front of the tailbone area. Blocking these nerves from carrying pain information can help you decrease pain in your pelvis. Ganglion Impar blocks are minimally-invasive injections of medication that help treat pain originating from the rectum, anus, perineum, distal urethra, vagina, vulva, scrotum, and coccyx. They are also used to treat certain types of pain from cancer. Medication is classically variably effective against the above conditions – these injections may give you more relief while taking less pain medication.

Ganglion Impar blocks are done as an outpatient procedure and can be done in a Clearway Surgery Center – with sedation (twilight sleep) if desired. During the procedure, your doctor will numb an area of skin on your back with a local anesthetic. Then, guided by an x-ray, he or she will: 1. Insert two needles into your back, near each hip bone 2. Under careful Live Xray guidance the needles will be positioned in the correct area 3. Inject dye to confirm that medication will go to the correct spot 4. Inject pain medication, sometimes including a steroid for longer-term relief Ganglion Impar blocks may include a series of injections, repeated at weekly intervals, depending on your relief.

Patients may experience pain relief within a day after the injection, but pain may return a few hours later as the anesthetic wears off. Longer term relief usually begins in two to three days, once the steroid begins to work. How long the pain stays away is different for each patient. For some, the relief lasts weeks. For others, the relief lasts years. If the pain returns, you can have a repeat injection every few months.

Serious side effects and complications are uncommon. The most common side effect is pain and soreness at the injection site. Uncommon risks include infection, nerve damage, hypotension, and blood in the stool.