Located in front of the fifth lumbar and first sacral vertebral bodies, the hypogastric plexus is a collection of nerves near the lower part of the abdomen in the upper front of the pelvis. A hypogastric plexus block is a procedure that involves the administrations of pain-killing medication near the region of the hypogastric plexus. The hypogastric block typically involves a series of injections repeated at weekly intervals.
The procedure provides relief to many patients who suffer from pain located in or near the following areas:
Most patients experienced pain relief within 20 minutes of the injection of local anesthetic, with relief lasting several hours. However, if steroid medication is also injected during the procedure, longer lasting relief may be achieved.
Hypogastric plexus blocks may provide relief for numerous conditions: