Ultrasound guided thoracic wall blocks

Abstract

Epidural anesthesia and thoracic paravertebral blocks have been the mainstay of regional anesthesia for thoracic surgery for many years. Following introduction of ultrasound use during regional anesthesia practices, new blocks named interfascial plane blocks have been introduced into clinical practice. Although interfascial plane blocks fail to provide surgical anesthesia their contribution to providing analgesia is clinically important. In this review we mention the most commonly accepted blocks namely pectoral blocks, serratus anterior plane block, erector spinae plane block and rhomboid blocks.