ABSTRACT

There are more than hundred reasons of hiccups and they can last as long as days, weeks or even months. Persistent hiccups can cause depression, fatigue, altered sleeping pattern, dehydration, malnutrition and aspiration. Hiccups can be treated using non-invasive or pharmacological agents. Should these methods fail; phrenic nerve block or surgical procedures can be used. In this paper, we have presented two cases that involve patients of age 56 and 52, with persistent and intractable hiccups irresponsive to conservative treatment, whose hiccups was treated by phrenic nerve block using nerve simulator temporarily, followed-up by pulsed radiofrequency applied on phrenic nerve.