Complications of Paravertebral, Intercostal Nerve Blocks and Interpleural Analgesia

Paravertebral, intercostal nerve blocks and interpleural analgesia are used to provide intermittent, temporary, or continuous anesthesia or analgesia in the thoracic and abdominal regions. These regional techniques may be appropriate alternatives to the standard methods of providing analgesia (i.e., epidural analgesia, intravenous opioids) for selected groups of patients. These analgesic techniques have been used to treat pain related to thoracotomy,1,2 rib fractures,3, 4, 5 trauma,6 and chronic pain.7 In recent years, utilization of these techniques has been extended to include breast surgery,8,9 shoulder surgery,10,11 laparoscopic cholecystectomy,12 and inguinal hernia repair.13 Paravertebral blocks have recently been described as an effective means of providing analgesia after hepatectomy.14