A prospective randomized comparison of the efficacy of standard antiviral therapy versus ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block for acute herpes zoster

Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of repetitive thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) under ultrasound (US) guidance for acute pain associated to herpes zoster (HZ) and its prophylactic effects on post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Methods Patients who suffered from acute pain associated to HZ within 1 week of rash onset were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to receive a seven-day course antiviral therapy, antiviral therapy with additional US-guided repetitive TPVB using transverse short axial (TSA) approach every 48 h for a week after antiviral therapy. All patients were allowed to receive rescue analgesics. The primary endpoint was HZ burden of illness (HZ-BOI) measured by a severity-by-duration composite pain assessment conducted 1-month post inclusion. Adverse events were also recorded. Results A total of 96 patients completed the entire 6-month follow-up. The BOI-30AUC was 112.5 (95%CI: 105.2, 119.9) in control group, and 82.7 (95%CI: 75.4, 90.1) in TPVB group (F = 32.252, p