Articles: nerve-block.
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A total of 35 patients who presented in the Accident and Emergency Department of University College Hospital with displaced distal radial fracture between January 2000 and March 2001 had reduction of the fracture under haematoma block using 10ml of 2% lignocaine. There was significant reduction of the pain following infiltration of the fracture site with lignocaine and significant pain reduction during manipulation compared to pain score at presentation. ⋯ All patients had good range of movement at 8 weeks after removal of Plaster of Paris and patients expressed satisfaction with this method. We recommend the use of Haematoma block for patients of 15 years and above with displaced distal radial fracture in the Accident and Emergency Department.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Oct 2002
Clinical TrialThe anatomic relationship of the sciatic nerve to the lesser trochanter: implications for anterior sciatic nerve block.
Classic descriptions of the anterior sciatic nerve block suggest needle placement at the level of the lesser trochanter of the femur. Recently, investigators have reported that the sciatic nerve is not accessible at this level. To define more accurately the anatomic relationship of the sciatic nerve to the lesser trochanter, we analyzed magnetic resonance scans performed on 20 patients in the supine position. After IRB approval, magnetic resonance scans of the hip and proximal femur were reviewed in 20 supine patients in the neutral position. Images from five axial levels were studied, specifically, at the level of the lesser trochanter and at 1-cm intervals inferior to the lesser trochanter for 4 cm. In each axial image, the medial or lateral distance was measured from the sciatic nerve to a sagittal plane at the medial border of the femur. If the sciatic nerve was lateral to this sagittal plane (inaccessible), the distance was assigned a negative value, and if the sciatic nerve was medial to the sagittal plane (accessible), the distance was assigned a positive value. The distance between the coronal plane at the anterior border of the femur and the coronal plane through the sciatic nerve was also recorded for each level. At the level of the lesser trochanter, the sciatic nerve was lateral to the femoral border (inaccessible) in 13 of 20 patients with a mean distance of -4.0 +/- 7.7 mm. At 4 cm below the lesser trochanter, the sciatic nerve was medial to the femoral border (accessible) in 19 of 20 patients with a mean distance 7.8 +/- 5.8 mm. The distance from the anterior border of the femur to the sciatic nerve was 42.9 +/- 5.8 mm at the level of the lesser trochanter and 45.7 +/- 9.5 mm at 4 cm below the lesser trochanter. The classic description of the anterior approach to the sciatic nerve suggests that the needle be walked off medially at the level of the lesser trochanter. Our data are consistent with recent reports suggesting that in the majority of subjects, the position of the sciatic nerve relative to lesser trochanter made it inaccessible from an anterior approach at this level. In contrast, at 4 cm below the lesser trochanter, the sciatic nerve was medial to the femur in 19 of 20 subjects. We conclude that needle insertion medial to the proximal femur, 4 cm below the lesser trochanter, is a more direct anatomical approach to the anterior sciatic nerve block. ⋯ Magnetic resonance images suggest that in the majority of supine subjects, the sciatic nerve is lateral to the lesser trochanter of the femur and therefore not accessible using the classic anterior approach. By contrast, 4 cm below the lesser trochanter, the sciatic nerve is consistently medial to the femoral shaft and therefore may be more accessible using an anterior approach.
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Fluoroscopy is an integral part of the practice of interventional pain management in present day modern medical practices. The major purpose of fluoroscopy in interventional pain management is correct needle placement to ensure target specificity and accurate delivery of the injectate. Fluoroscopy has become mandatory for multiple procedures based either on the definition of the procedure or the requirement of third parties. ⋯ The average exposure outside the apron was 1.345 mREM per patient and 0.778 mREM per procedure outside the apron and 0 mREM inside the apron. The levels of exposure are significantly below the annual limits recommended. It is concluded that it is feasible to perform all procedures under fluoroscopy in the described setting safely and effectively in interventional pain management.
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The role of zygapophysial (facet) joints in chronic thoracic pain has received very little attention with only a few publications discussing these joints as sources of pain. In contrast, facet joints have been implicated as responsible for chronic pain in a significant proportion of patients with chronic neck and low back pain. However, thoracic spinal pain, though less common, has been reported to be as disabling as neck and low back pain. ⋯ Results showed that 46 patients underwent single blocks with lidocaine and 36 of these patients, or 78%, were positive for facet joint pain, reporting a definite response. Confirmatory blocks with bupivacaine were performed in all patients who were lidocaine-positive, with 61%, or 48% of the total sample of the lidocaine-positive group, reporting a definite response with improvement in their pain. Thus, comparative local anesthetic blocks showed the prevalence of facet joint pain to be 48%, with single blocks carrying a false-positive rate of 58%.