Intralymphatic injection: Another complication of lumbar sympathetic block

MANY complications of lumbar sympathetic blocks have been reported, including increased swelling of the blocked extremity after injection. This usually has been attributed to increased blood flow secondary to vasodilatation rather than to any intralymphatic process. However, we present a case in which lumbar sympathetic block, performed by standard technique and confirmed with fluoroscopy, resulted in spread of solution into the lumbar lymphatic chain. This event raises the possibility of lymphatic damage during sympathetic blockade. The purpose of this report is to make clinicians aware of this possibility and to discuss the possible complications that may arise.