• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.379-382
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• 2014

A case of intractable hiccup developed by cavernous hemangioma in the medulla oblongata is reported. There have been only five previously reported cases of medullary cavernoma that triggered intractable hiccup. The patient was a 28-year-old man who was presented with intractable hiccup for 15 days. It developed suddenly, then aggravated progressively and did not respond to any types of medication. On magnetic resonance images, a well-demarcated and non-enhancing mass with hemorrhagic changes was noted in the left medulla oblongata. Intraoperative findings showed that the lesion was fully embedded within the brain stem and pathology confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma. The hiccup resolved completely after the operation. Based on the presumption that the medullary cavernoma may trigger intractable hiccup by displacing or compression the hiccup arc of the dorsolateral medulla, surgical excision can eliminate the symptoms, even in the case totally buried in brainstem.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.246-249
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• 1997

Hiccup is defined as an abrupt involuntary contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles with sudden closure of the glottis 35 msec after onset. The term "intractable" is given to those hiccups with a duration ranging from 24 hours to more than 25 years. Short hiccup bouts are mostly associated with gastric distention or alcohol intake, resolved spontaneously or with simple remedies. In contrast, intractable hiccup is a rare but disabling condition which can induce depression, weight loss and sleep deprivation. Although the pathophysiologic mechanisms of hiccup are still poorly understood, wide variety of pathological conditions such as: brain tumor, abdominal tumor, myocardial infarction, renal failure, abdominal surgery etc., can cause intractable hiccup. A 58-year-old male who had suffered from hepatocellular cancer was consulted from medical department due to intractable hiccup. Initial treatment modalities with administrations of metoclopramide and chlorpromazine and nerve block including phrenic nerve block, cervical epidural block and glossopharyngeal nerve block were not effective. Administration of midazolam and baclofen however achieved desirable effect.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.506-511
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• 2005

Hiccup is a common clinical symptom, and may be caused from over 100 medical origins. Generally hiccup happens temporarily, and continues only a few seconds or minutes, and is cured easily by physical methods or even by itself. But in some cases, hiccup is so refractory that patients may be tired and very troubled by it. At worst, it may cause death. Intractable hiccup is defined as hiccup persisting for more than 48 hours, and this appears in various diseases. Persistent hiccup is very difficult to treat by conventional methods. A 69-year-old man was admitted due to intractable hiccup without gastroenteral system abnormalities or peripheral nervous systemic involvement. So Paljung-san(八正散) was prescribed. The intensity and frequency of hiccup dramatically improved.

• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2016

■ Objectives The purpose of this clinical study is to evaluate the effect of Korean Medical Treatment on a 71 years old Korean male with Intractable hiccup for 40 years after gastric perforation operation. ■ Methods He was treated with acupuncture, electroacupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine, Jakyakgamcho-tang and Banhasasim-tang. We evaluated the improvement by frequency of hiccup and NRS of hiccup. ■ Results Hiccup disappeared at sixth day of treatment and NRS of hiccup also decreased.. ■ Conclusion Korean medical treatment may be effective in treating intractable hiccup

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.222-225
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• 2008

Hiccup is one of common symptoms that remains poorly understood. The hiccups coordinating center is located in the brain-stem reticular formation. Hiccups may be derived from 400 medical origins. Stroke is an infrequent cause of intractable hiccups. Intractable hiccups in pontine infarction remain poorly understood. As for treatments of hiccups, physical stimulating methods, pharmacological therapies and surgery are occidental conventional methods. In Pharmacological therapies, antidepressants, gastric motility stimulants, antispastic drugs are commonly used. Oriental medicines and acupuncture are also used frequently to treat hiccups. We have treated a case of intractable hiccup induced by pontine infarction with herbal medication; Gwakhyangjeonggi-san gami, acupuncture and moxibustion, and successfully improved. This case showed oriental medicine therapy is effective in intractable hiccup induced by pontine infarction.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.304-308
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• 1991

Corticosteroid has been extensively used for the treatment of many medical diseases caused by immune and inflammatory response. And recently it becomes the first choice of treatment for bronchial asthma in a point of it's anti-inflammatory effects. However, this therapy has been associated with many well-known complications including truncal obesity, diabetes mellitus, excerbation of hypertension, delayed wound healing, easy bruisy, atropy of proximal muscles, psychotic symptoms, and/or osteoporosis. We report a case of patient with bronchial asthma who developed an uncommon side reaction, intractable hiccup persisting longer than 48 hours after treatment with oral corticosteroid.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.109-113
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• 2000

A hiccup is an involuntary, spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm accompanied by a sudden closure of the glottis, which is reported commonly in patients with brain stem disease such as ischemic stroke, dolichoectatic basilar artery, tumor, encephalitis, and multiple sclerosis. 1) Intractable hiccup is an uncommon, chronic and incapacitating disturbance defined as a hiccup bout lasting more than 48hours or recurring despite various treatments and affecting male subjects more than female. 2) Constipation and hiccup are common symptoms in stroke patients and purgation therapy has been often used. We discovered two patients who had a hiccup symptom after purgation therapy(diarrhea) and so reported course and result of treatment.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1621-1625
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• 2008

Generally, hiccup is a temporary symptom, however, persistent or intractable hiccup that repeats continuously or does not respond to medical treatments makes the patients very painful. In this case, a seventy-two years old patient with pontine infarction showed symptoms as aspiration pneumonia and persistent hiccup a few days after hospitalized. We considered him as excess heat pattern and prescribed Yangkyuk-san. In the result, not only the frequency and intensity of hiccup were remarkably decreased but also the inflammation and overall symptoms by pontine infarction were improved.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.198-201
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• 2010

Persistent and intractable hiccups (with respective durations of more than 48 hours and 1 month) can result in depression, fatigue, impaired sleep, dehydration, weight loss, malnutrition, and aspiration syndromes. The conventional treatments for hiccups are either non-pharmacological, pharmacological or a nerve block treatment. Pulsed radiofrequency lesioning (PRFL) has been proposed for the modulation of the excited nervous system pathway of pain as a safe and nondestructive treatment method. As placement of the electrode in close proximity to the targeted nerve is very important for the success of PRFL, ultrasound appears to be well suited for this technique. A 74-year-old man suffering from intractable hiccups that had developed after a coronary artery bypass graft and had continued for 7 years was referred to our pain clinic. He had not been treated with conventional methods or medications. We performed PRFL of the phrenic nerve guided by ultrasound and the hiccups disappeared.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1083-1091
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report a case of a woman with intractable hiccups after a traffic accident through Korean medicine treatment. Methods: A combination of treatments, including herbal medicine (Soshiho-tang), pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, Chuna, cupping, and moxibustion, was administered to the patient for 21 days. The frequency and duration of hiccups, the degree of body shaking, and total sleep time were measured daily. The accompanying symptoms were measured daily using the Visual Analogue Scale. Results: After Korean medicine treatment, Hiccup symptoms disappeared. Further, the degree of clinical symptoms and QOL improved significantly after Korean medicine treatment. No adverse events were observed. Conclusions: This study suggests that Korean medicine treatment can be an effective treatment for intractable hiccups after traffic accidents.