Using ultrasound guidance in peripheral nerve blocks

SummaryA systematic search of medical literature was conducted to review the latest findings in the field of ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks. Most of the evidence supports the use of ultrasound in peripheral nerve blocks. However, despite a growing number of papers describing new techniques using ultrasound, randomized controlled trials conducted so far are usually limited to certain blocks and issues, with little research on safety and educational issues. This review describes evidence for ultrasound guidance versus other nerve location techniques. We also reviewed recent findings where ultrasound guidance has made a difference including: choice of local anesthetic injection sites, local anesthetic volume reduction, perineural catheter insertion techniques, and the concept of intraneural local anesthetic injection.