Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
-
Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2008
ReviewNeedle visualization in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia: challenges and solutions.
Needle visualization is important for safe and successful ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block. However, accurate and consistent visualization of the needle tip can be difficult to achieve. This review article describes many of the challenges affecting needle visualization, summarizes the relevant literature on ultrasound imaging of needles, and offers practical strategies for improving needle tip visibility. Finally, future directions for research and development are suggested.