Abstract

Effective pain relief was produced in 18 patients having acute or subacute thoracic herpes zoster by the intermittent administration of local anesthetics into the pleural space via a percutaneously placed catheter. The duration of treatment varied from 16 to 21 days. During this period, the intervals between subsequent doses of 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine increased in all patients from two doses per 24 hours to one dose per 24 hours. Patients became pain-free between 16 and 21 days after the beginning of treatment. The catheters were then removed, and a follow-up period of more than one year showed no signs of postherpetic neuralgia in any of the 18 patients. No side effects were observed during the treatment period.