| Original Article | Feasibility of Early and Repeated Low-dose Interscalene

To improve residual pain management in acute cervical radiculopathy treated with NSAIDs, the feasibility of early and repeated low-dose interscalene brachial plexus block (IS-BPB) needs to be assessed. Methods: This was a prospective study on patients receiving NSAIDs (loxoprofen) for cervical radiculopathy of ≤ 2-week onset. Pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). A low-dose ultrasonography (USG)-guided IS-BPB (dexamethasone [1.65 mg; 0.5 ml] and mepivacaine [1%; 3.0 ml]) was performed at baseline and weekly thereafter for 4 weeks in an outpatient setting for the intervention group. All patients were evaluated using a visual satisfaction score (VSS) at week 4. Patients with baseline VAS scores ＜ 70 (mild to moderate pain; MM group) and ≥ 70 (severe pain; SE group) were compared to the controls receiving NSAIDs. Results: A total of 316 IS-BPBs were performed in the intervention group. There was a significant difference in the decline in the VAS from week 0 to week 3 in the MM and SE groups (P ＜ 0.05); however, from week 3 to week 4, the therapeutic effect exhibited no significant difference. Thirteen patients at week 2 (15.5%; MM