BACKGROUND Paravertebral regional anaesthesia is used to treat pain after several surgical procedures. This study aimed to improve on our first published ultrasound-guided approach to the paravertebral space (PVS) and to investigate a possible discrepancy between the needle, catheter, and contrast dye position. METHODS In 10 cadavers, we conducted 26 ultrasound-guided paravertebral approaches...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Normative age-related decline in paravertebral muscle quality is important for reference to disease and risk identification in patients. We aimed to establish age- and vertebral level-dependence of paravertebral (multifidus and erector spinae) muscle volume and fat content in healthy adult volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this prospective study multifidus and erecto...

Single-injection paravertebral block offers adequate unilateral analgesia for thoracic and upper abdominal surgery. This technique is easy to learn but there is a risk, albeit low, of pleural puncture. The aim of the study was to determine whether sonographic measurements of the distances from the skin to the transverse process and to the parietal pleura are useful for calculating the required ...

To The ediTor: It was with great interest that we read the article by Wang et al, “Sequential Transarterial Embolization Followed by Percutaneous Vertebroplasty Is Safe and Effective in Pain Management in Vertebral Metastases,” published in the 2016 May/June issue of Pain Physician (1). This is a well-designed retrospective article which demonstrates that sequential therapy of transarterial emb...

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of individualized chemotherapy delivered via percutaneous catheter drainage on paravertebral abscesses in spinal tuberculosis (TB). Data from 48 patients with spinal TB with paravertebral abscesses who received individualized chemotherapy via computed tomography-guided catheterization between 2009 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The p...

OBJECTIVES The contribution of ultrasound-assisted thoracic paravertebral block to postoperative analgesia remains unclear. We compared the effect of a combination of ultrasound assisted-thoracic paravertebral block and propofol general anesthesia with opioid and sevoflurane general anesthesia on volatile anesthetic, propofol and opioid consumption, and postoperative pain in patients having bre...

A 46-year-old woman presented with an 8-month history of fever, lumbar pain, and a slowly growing right paravertebral mass. She reported regular consumption of unpasteurized goat cheese. The physical examination revealed a fluctuant right paravertebral mass and marked pain on palpation over the lumbar spine at the L3-L4 level. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the spine revealed erosions of th...

Thoracic paravertebral block is performed for the treatment of patients with chronic pain, such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and post-herpetic neuralgia. Thoracic paravertebral block can result in iatrogenic pneumothorax. Because pneumothorax can develop into medical emergencies and needle aspiration or chest tube placement may be needed, early diagnosis is very important. Recently,...

BACKGROUND Anesthesia management for patients with severe ankylosing spondylitis scheduled for total hip arthroplasty is challenging due to a potential difficult airway and difficult neuraxial block. We report 4 cases with ankylosing spondylitis successfully managed with a combination of lumbar plexus, sacral plexus and T12 paravertebral block. CASE PRESENTATION Four patients were scheduled f...

Abstract Background Pain control is a vital component of enhanced recovery programmes for patients undergoing an oesophagectomy. Multimodal analgesia using intrathecal diamorphine and local anaesthetic infusion catheters into the paravertebral space rectus sheath increasingly utilised. can provide comparable pain relief while potentially reducing side effects associated with thoracic epidurals....