Ultrasound‐Guided Paravertebral Neurolytic Block: A Report of Two Cases

Paravertebral block is commonly used in the treatment for acute and chronic pain. The duration of paravertebral block could theoretically be prolonged with neurolytic agents. We report two cases of ultrasound‐guided neurolytic paravertebral blocks in patients suffering from intense cancer‐related thoracic pain. Ultrasound was used to identify the space and plane of injection at the mid‐thoracic level. Absolute alcohol was used to block the nerves at different segments. The two patients had great pain relief. Neurolytic paravertebral block can be a useful technique in patients with intractable cancer pain. Because of the risk of complication, it is recommended that this technique should be limited to relief of intractable pain in cancer patients with a poor prognosis.     

An alternative approach to needle placement in cervicothoracic epidural injections

The use of fluoroscopy guidance together with the loss of resistance technique during epidural injections has been advocated lately; moreover, epidural injections in the absence of fluoroscopic guidance have a high rate of inaccurate needle-tip placement during the injections. However, the approach to the lower cervical and upper thoracic epidural space may be challenging due to its obscure lateral fluoroscopic views from overlying normal tissue structures. In this case, we report an alternative oblique C-arm fluoroscopy guided view approach to supplement the standard anterior-posterior and lateral fluoroscopic views to facilitate successful needle placement and precise anatomical localization of the epidural space.     

超声引导下胸椎旁神经阻滞在肺结核患者开胸手术中的应用

目的探讨超声引导下胸椎旁神经阻滞在肺结核患者开胸手术中的应用价值。方法选择ASA I~II级,年龄18~60岁择期行开胸手术肺结核患者90例,随机分为单纯全麻组（G组）、全麻复合超声引导下胸椎旁神经阻滞组（P组）和全麻复合硬膜外阻滞组（E组）,每组各30例。P组患者麻醉诱导前在超声引导下行单次胸椎旁神经阻滞,E组患者麻醉诱导前行胸段硬膜外穿刺并留置硬膜外导管。3组患者均采用静吸复合全麻维持麻醉,术毕行静脉自控镇痛。记录患者入手术室时（T0）、诱导插管前（T1）、切皮前（T2）、切皮后5 min（T3）、拔管后（T4）及术后2 h (T5)的MAP及HR;记录患者术中舒芬太尼用量、手术时间及多巴胺使用例数;记录患者术后2、6、12、24、48、72 h安静状态下和咳嗽时VAS评分及镇痛泵的按压次数。结果P组患者MAP在T3、T4时间点较G组患者有下降（P<0.05）,HR在T3、T4、T5时间点较G组患者有下降（P<0.05）;E组患者MAP、HR在T1、T2、T3、T4、T5时间点较G组、P组患者均有下降（P<0.05）;P组及E组患者术中舒芬太尼用量较G组患者少（P<0.05）;E组患者多巴胺使用例数多于G组、P组患者（P<0.05）,而P组患者多巴胺使用例数多于G组患者（P<0.05）;在安静和咳嗽状态下,P组患者在术后2、6、12 h评分低于G组患者（P<0.05）,E组患者在术后2、6 h评分低于G组患者（P<0.05）;P组、E组患者术后镇痛泵按压次数少于G组患者（P<0.05）。结论超声引导下胸椎旁神经阻滞操作成功率高,镇痛效果确切,围术期血流动力学平稳,可减少肺结核患者开胸手术术中阿片类药物用量,增强术后早期镇痛效果,可安全有效地应用于肺结核患者开胸手术麻醉。      

Use of Ultrasound and Fluoroscopy Guidance in Percutaneous Radiofrequency Lesioning of the Sensory Branches of the Femoral and Obturator Nerves

Hip pain is a common condition that is often seen in patients with multiple comorbidities. Often surgery is not an option due to these comorbidities. Percutaneous radiofrequency lesioning of the articular branches of the obturator and femoral nerves is an alternative treatment for hip pain. Traditionally, fluoroscopy is used to guide needle placement. We report a case where a novel approach was used with ultrasound guidance to visualize vascular and soft tissue structures in real time. The use of ultrasound might help to guide the needle to avoid vascular complications due to anatomical variation between patients.     

Comparative Echogenicity of an Epidural Catheter and 2 New Catheters Designed for Ultrasound‐Guided Continuous Peripheral Nerve Blocks

Visualization of the catheter during ultrasound‐guided continuous nerve block performance may be difficult but is an essential skill for regional anesthesiologists. The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate 2 newer catheters designed for enhanced echogenicity and compare them to a widely used catheter not purposely designed for ultrasound guidance. Outcomes were the numbers of first‐place rankings among all 3 catheters and scores on individual echogenicity criteria as assessed by 2 blinded reviewers. Catheters designed for echogenicity are not superior to an older regional anesthesia catheter, and results suggest that catheter preference for ultrasound‐guided placement may be subjective.     

Regional anaesthesia techniques for carotid surgery: the state of art

Purpose

This review will analyse some aspects of regional anaesthesia (RA) for carotid endarterectomy (CEA), a surgical procedure which requires a strict monitoring of patient’s status. RA remains an important tool for the anaesthesiologist. Some debates remain about type and definition of regional anaesthesia, efficacy and safety of the different cervical block techniques, the right dose, concentration and volume of local anaesthetic, the use of adjuvants, the new perspectives: ultrasonography, the future directions.

Methods

A literature search was performed for journal articles in English language in the PubMed Embase and in The Cochrane Library database, from January 2000 to December 2013. The electronic search strategy contained the following medical subject headings and free text terms: local anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia for endarterectomy, superficial and deep cervical block, complications of cervical nerve block, ultrasound guidance of superficial and deep cervical plexus block.

Conclusions

The gold standard for RA will be achieved after overcoming a number of limitations by a more extensive use of ultrasonography, by combining general and regional anaesthesia, including conscious anaesthesia, by defining the appropriate volume, concentration and dosage of local agents and by addition of adjuvants.     

Successful use of ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block for lower limb surgery in a patient with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a case report

The number of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is increasing. These patients have a reduced cardiorespiratory reserve. Therefore, preoperative evaluation is essential to determine the best type of anaesthesia to use in patients with HFrEF. A 70-year-old man with HFrEF was scheduled to undergo debridement of skin necrosis due to thrombotic occlusion of the right common iliac artery. He had undergone wound dressing changes under local anaesthesia every other day for several months, and treatment for heart failure was on-going. A sciatic nerve and fascia iliaca compartment block was performed under ultrasound guidance because of the patient’s cardiopulmonary function. After confirming adequate sensory blockage, surgery was performed without any haemodynamic instability or complications. Thereafter, debridement was performed twice more using the same block technique, and a skin autograft was also successfully performed. We successfully performed an ultrasound-guided sciatic nerve and fascia iliaca compartment block in a patient with HFrEF who was scheduled to undergo lower limb surgery. Peripheral nerve block is an alternative option for patients with HFrEF.     

Successful emergency pain control for acute pancreatitis with ultrasound guided erector spinae plane blocks

Pain control for patients in the Emergency Department (ED) with acute pancreatitis (AP) can be difficult and is often limited to intravenous opioids. The acute side effects from opioids are well known and their use in the treatment of AP is associated with prolonged length of hospitalization. Additionally, up to 10% of patients hospitalized for acute pancreatitis are still receiving opioids 6 months after discharge. Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia by emergency physicians has increasingly proven to be an integral part of a multi-modal opioid sparing pain control strategy for patients in the ED. The ultrasound guided erector spinae plane block may be an ideal adjunct or alternative to opioids for analgesia from AP in the ED. The erector spinae plane block has already been successfully utilized by emergency physicians for pain control from rib fractures, herpes zoster, and more recently, acute appendicitis A lower thoracic erector spinae plane block targets sympathetic nerve fibers in addition to the dorsal and ventral rami via local anesthetic spread to the paravertebral space to provide both visceral and somatic analgesia. Herein, we present the first reported case of acute pancreatitis pain successfully managed by emergency physicians with the ESPB.     

Ultrasound-guided chest biopsies

Pulmonary nodules that are surrounded by aerated lung cannot be visualized with sonography. Therefore, percutaneous biopsy must be guided with computed tomography or fluoroscopy. Although this restriction only applies to central lung nodules, it has permeated referral patterns for other thoracic lesions and has retarded the growth of ultrasound-guided interventions. Nevertheless, sonography is an extremely flexible modality that can expeditiously guide many biopsy procedures in the thorax. Peripheral pulmonary nodules can be successfully biopsied with success rates exceeding 90% and complications rates of less than 5%. Orienting the probe parallel to the intercostal space facilitates biopsies of peripheral pulmonary nodules. Anterior mediastinal masses that extend to the parasternal region are often easily approachable provided the internal mammary vessels, costal cartilage, and deep great vessels are identified and avoided. Superior mediastinal masses can be sampled from a suprasternal or supraclavicular approach. Phased array probes or tightly curved arrays may provide improved access for biopsies in this location. Posterior mediastinal masses are more difficult to biopsy with ultrasound guidance because of the overlying paraspinal muscles. However, when posterior mediastinal masses extend into the posterior medial pleural region, they can be biopsied with ultrasound guidance. Because many lung cancers metastasize to the supraclavicular nodes, it is important to evaluate the supraclavicular region when determining the best approach to obtain a tissue diagnosis. When abnormal supraclavicular nodes are present, they often are the easiest and safest lesions to biopsy.     

超声引导臀下和臀横纹下入路坐骨神经阻滞的比较

目的 比较臀下入路和臀横纹下入路超声引导坐骨神经阻滞的效果.方法 选择择期下肢手术患者148例,随机分为臀下入路和臀横纹下入路组,每组74例,在超声联合神经刺激器引导下行坐骨神经阻滞,局麻药为0.5%罗哌卡因20 ml,测定坐骨神经至皮肤距离深度,对比操作时间和调整穿刺方向次数,评价坐骨神经运动阻滞率及主要分支胫神经、腓浅神经、腓肠神经和股后皮神经感觉阻滞效果,记录麻醉相关并发症.根据手术麻醉需要所有病例同时以0.5%罗哌卡因20 ml行腰丛神经阻滞.结果 臀横纹下入路组穿刺时间和调整穿刺针方向次数少于臀下入路组,臀横纹下入路组注药15 min后脚踝运动阻滞率低于臀下入路组,两组间注药30 min后感觉和运动阻滞率无差异,两组手术麻醉效果、镇痛时间和运动阻滞时间无差异.结论 臀下和臀横纹入路坐骨神经阻滞均可用于下肢手术麻醉,臀横纹下入路组操作更方便,可作为高位坐骨阻滞的首选入路.

Abstract：

Objective To compare the effects of subgluteal(SG) and sub-subgluteal-fold(SSGF)approach for ultrasound-guided siatic nerve block. Methods One hundred forty-eight patients undergoing lower limb surgery were randomly divided into two groups to receive SG approaches and SSGF approaches to sciatic nerve block under real time ultrasound guidance. A combined posterior lumbar plexus block under ultrasound guidance was performed for sufficient surgery anesthesia. 20 ml of 0. 5% ropivacaine was used for sciatic nerve and lumbar plexus block separately. Measurements included skin-to-nerve distance,reorientation of the needle during block and execution time,rates of sensory and motor blockade after 15 min and 30 min of injection, quality of surgery blockade, duration of the sensory and motor block, and postoperative complications related to sciatic nerve block. Results In SSGF group, execution time and reorientation of needle for sciatic nerve block was significantly less than those of the SG group( P ＜0.01).But motor blockade in the SG group was quicker when compared with SSGF group ( P ＜0.01). There were no significant differences in the quality and duration of blockade between the two groups. Conclusions Both SG and SSGF approach can be used for sciatic nerve block with equal sensory and motor block rate,whereas sciatic nerve block via SSGF approach was faster and easy to perform than the SG one.     

Ultrasound-guided suprapubic cystostomy catheter placement in the emergency department

The purpose of this article is to describe a series of patients undergoing ultrasound-guided suprapubic cystostomy catheter placement in the Emergency Department. A series of 17 consecutive patients who underwent emergent real-time ultrasound-guided suprapubic cystostomy in the ED over a 2-year period is reported. The procedure was facilitated by direct ultrasound imaging of the bladder using a Digital Sonoace 5500 machine. Procedural notes and follow-up records were analyzed for efficacy, safety, and complications. The results demonstrated that trans-abdominal ultrasound confirmed urinary retention before drainage in each of the 17 cases enrolled. Each patient required emergent suprapubic cystostomy catheter placement for acute urinary outflow obstruction because urethral bladder catheterization was not possible or was contraindicated. Continuous real-time ultrasound-guided percutaneous suprapubic cystostomy placement and decompression of the bladder was successful in all 17 (100%, 90-100% CI: 95%) cases. There were no complications reported. In conclusion, real-time ultrasound imaging of the bladder was successful for the purpose of aiding the guidance of a suprapubic cystostomy catheter placement in the ED and might represent an improvement from the standard blind method presently used.     

高频超声观察T7~8椎旁间隙及其毗邻结构

目的 探讨T7~8椎旁间隙及其毗邻结构的高频超检查方法和声像图特征。方法 采用彩色多普勒超声诊断仪、线阵探头（频率3~12 MHz）,以肩胛骨、肋骨、胸椎棘突及横突等作为解剖标志,检查30名正常成人共60侧T7~8椎旁间隙,观察T7~8椎旁间隙及其毗邻结构的声像图特征。结果 T7~8胸椎旁间隙声像图表现类似三角形,其内部为实性均质性低回声;T7~8椎旁间隙毗邻肌肉从浅至深依次为斜方肌、背阔肌、棘肌、半棘肌、多裂肌、回旋肌、肋间肌;彩色多普勒或能量多普勒血流成像可显示位于胸椎旁间隙内肋间后动脉。结论 高频超声可清晰显示T7~8椎旁间隙及其毗邻结构,可为临床诊治胸椎旁间隙及其毗邻结构病变提供影像学依据。     

Image Guidance Technologies for Interventional Pain Procedures: Ultrasound,Fluoroscopy, and CT

Chronic pain is a common medical condition. Patients who suffer uncontrolled chronic pain may require interventions including spinal injections and various nerve blocks. Interventional procedures have evolved and improved over time since epidural injection was first introduced for low back pain and sciatica in 1901. One of the major contributors in the improvement of these interventions is the advancement of imaging guidance technologies. The utilization of image guidance has dramatically improved the accuracy and safety of these interventions. The first image guidance technology adopted by pain specialists was fluoroscopy. This was followed by CT and ultrasound. Fluoroscopy can be used to visualize bony structures of the spine. It is still the most commonly used guidance technology in spinal injections. In the recent years, ultrasound guidance has been increasingly adopted by interventionists to perform various injections. Because its ability to visualize soft tissue, vessels, and nerves, this guidance technology appears to be a better option than fluoroscopy for interventions including SGB and celiac plexus blocks, when visualization of the vessels may prevent intravascular injection. The current evidence indicates the efficacies of these interventions are similar between ultrasound guidance and fluoroscopy guidance for SGB and celiac plexus blocks. For facet injections and interlaminar epidural steroid injections, it is important to visualize bony structures in order to perform these procedures accurately and safely. It is worth noting that facet joint injections can be done under ultrasound guidance with equivalent efficacy to fluoroscopic guidance. However, obese patients may present challenge for ultrasound guidance due to its poor visualization of deep anatomical structures. Regarding transforaminal epidural steroid injections, there are limited evidence to support that ultrasound guidance technology has equivalent efficacy and less complications comparing to fluoroscopy. However, further studies are required to prove the efficacy of ultrasound-guided transforaminal epidural injections. SI joint is unique due to its multiplanar orientation, irregular joint gap, partial ankylosis, and thick dorsal and interosseous ligament. Therefore, it can be difficult to access the joint space with fluoroscopic guidance and ultrasound guidance. CT scan, with its cross-sectional images, can identify posterior joint gap, is most likely the best guidance technology for this intervention. Intercostal nerves lie in the subcostal grove close to the plural space. Significant risk of pneumothorax is associated with intercostal blocks. Ultrasound can provide visualization of ribs and pleura. Therefore, it may improve the accuracy of the injection and reduce the risk of pneumothorax. At present time, most pain specialists are familiar with fluoroscopic guidance techniques, and fluoroscopic machines are readily available in the pain clinics. In the contrast, CT guidance can only be performed in specially equipped facilities. Ultrasound machine is generally portable and inexpensive in comparison to CT scanner and fluoroscopic machine. As pain specialists continue to improve their patient care, ultrasound and CT guidance will undoubtedly be incorporated more into the pain management practice. This review is based on a paucity of clinical evidence to compare these guidance technologies; clearly, more clinical studies is needed to further elucidate the pro and cons of each guidance method for various pain management interventions.     

B超引导对老年患者外周中心静脉置管的影响

目的观察超声引导下对老年患者外周中心静脉置管(PICC)的影响。方法选择我科2008年3月~2010年3月需PICC的老年患者34例,随机分为盲插组18例及超声引导组16例,超声引导组除使用超声引导寻找上肢静脉外,其余步骤与盲插组相同。对比两组穿刺时间、一针穿刺成功率、导管尖端到位率及1 d内穿刺部位出血发生率、7 d内机械性静脉炎发生率。结果超声引导组穿刺时间短于盲插组,一针穿刺成功率高于盲插组,机械性静脉炎发生率低于盲插组,差异均有统计学意义(P均<0.05),两组导管尖端到位率及出血发生率比较差异无统计学意义(P=0.34,0.17)。结论在超声引导下行PICC可缩短穿刺时间,提高一针穿刺成功率,减少机械性静脉炎的发生率。     

超声引导下小儿肌间沟臂丛神经阻滞的应用研究

目的 探讨小儿肌间沟臂丛神经的超声解剖学特点及超声引导下小儿肌间沟臂丛神经阻滞的可行性和安全性.方法 36例拟行肱骨髁部骨折切开复位内固定术患儿,超声检查肌间沟内臂丛神经的分布,观察臂丛神经的声像图特点,测量神经干的直径与皮肤的距离,在超声引导下行肌间沟臂丛阻滞.结果 超声检查36例小儿肌间沟内臂丛神经均清晰显示,超声引导下以0.25%布比卡因行肌间沟臂丛阻滞麻醉有效率达100%.结论 臂丛神经超声解剖结构清晰,超声引导下小儿肌间沟臂丛神经阻滞安全可行.     

Ultrasound in paediatric anaesthesia

Regional anaesthesia is widely employed for the perioperative pain control also in children. The literature data confirm the very low rate of complications and side effects of regional anaesthesia in children but there are key points for performing a block and placing a catheter in children: there is the need of good knowledge of anatomical and physiological differences; the use of the more recent local anaesthetics increases the therapeutic window and it is mandatory to work with dedicated paediatric tools.Through the use of new techniques like ultrasound we can improve the success of the blocks reducing the risks and adding safety and efficacy to a technique that is part of our daily clinical practice.     

Ultrasound and pain in children: A review

Ultrasound guidance has been demonstrated to improve block characteristics in children including shorter block performance time, higher success rates, shorter onset time, longer block duration, less volume of local anesthetic agents and visibility of neuraxial structures.Clinical studies in children suggest that ultrasound guidance has some advantages over more traditional nerve stimulation-based techniques for regional block. However, the advantage of ultrasound guidance on safety over traditional has not been adequately demonstrated in children except ilio-inguinal blocks.There are only a limited number of randomized control trails in children comparing ultrasound guided peripheral nerve block with other techniques. Available evidence in children demonstrates that ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks improve the quality, onset, duration and success rate of nerve blocks and help to lower the local anesthetic volume needed to perform blocks.     

Combination of High-Resolution Ultrasound-Guided Perivascular Regional Anesthesia of the Internal Carotid Artery and Intermediate Cervical Plexus Block for Carotid Surgery

All previously documented regional anesthesia procedures for carotid artery surgery routinely require additional local infiltration or systemic supplementation with opioids to achieve satisfactory analgesia because of the complex innervation of the surgical site. Here, we report a reliable ultrasound-guided anesthesia method for carotid artery surgery. High-resolution ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia using a 12.5-MHz linear ultrasound transducer was performed in 34 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Anesthesia consisted of perivascular regional anesthesia of the internal carotid artery and intermediate cervical plexus block. The internal carotid artery and the nerves of the superficial cervical plexus were identified, and a needle was placed dorsal to the internal carotid artery and directed cranially to the carotid bifurcation under ultrasound visualization. After careful aspiration, local anesthetic was spread around the internal carotid artery and the carotid bifurcation. In the second step, local anesthetic was injected below the sternocleidomastoid muscle along the previously identified nerves of the intermediate cervical plexus. The necessity for intra-operative supplementation and the conversion rate to general anesthesia were recorded. Ultrasonic visualization of the region of interest was possible in all cases. Needle direction was successful in all cases. Three to five milliliters of 0.5% ropivacaine produced satisfactory spread around the carotid bifurcation. For intermediate cervical plexus block, 10 to 20 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine produced sufficient intra-operative analgesia. Conversion to general anesthesia because of an incomplete block was not necessary. Five cases required additional local infiltration with 1% prilocaine (2–6 mL) by the surgeon. Visualization with high-resolution ultrasound yields safe and accurate performance of the block. Because of the low rate of intra-operative supplementation, we conclude that the described ultrasound-guided perivascular anesthesia technique is effective for carotid artery surgery.     

Paravertebral-peridural block technique: a unilateral thoracic block

A reliable, safe approach to achieving unilateral anesthesia in multiple contiguous thoracic dermatomes would be of great benefit to anesthesiologists in the acute and chronic pain setting. The multidermatomal intercostal technique is one such approach, although the anatomical mechanism of this nerve block is a matter of debate. At our pain clinic, we have used another technique, a modification of the paravertebral block, to achieve multiple segments of unilateral sensory blockade. We have used this technique, which we call the paravertebral-peridural block, for over 20 years in the treatment of various pain problems. In retrospective analysis of the 384 blocks performed from 1982 to 1986, there was one pneumothorax (0.26%), one thecal puncture (0.26%), and two accidental intrathecal injections (0.52%). Eighteen blocks (4.6%) resulted in transient hypotension. There were no permanent sequelae. Ninety-three percent of blocks were evaluated as "good" or "excellent" in quality. Bilateral sensory blockade was documented in five patients (1.3%). In order to clarify the mechanism of bilateral blockade resulting from a unilateral technique, we injected four fresh cadavers with colored latex solution using the paravertebral-peridural approach. This revealed spread of the latex across the midline prevertebrally to the contralateral paravertebral space. We conclude that the paravertebral-peridural thoracic block is a reliable, safe technique for achieving unilateral anesthesia over multiple dermatomes with a single injection.