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Update on thoracic paravertebral blocks

Vesna Novak-Jankovic1

  • 1Ljubljana University Medical Center, Clinical Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Ljubljana, Slovenia. vnovakjankovic@gmail.com

Collegium Antropologicum
|July 16, 2011
PubMed

Thoracic paravertebral block was widely practised at the beginning of the 20th century. It has enjoyed a renaissance in the past decade. This form of afferent blockade is the technique of injecting local anaesthetic into the thoracic paravertebral space. Thoracic paravertebral analgesia is mostly indicated for unilateral surgical procedures of the thorax and abdomen. Compared to the other available regional techniques such as epidural, intercostal and interpleural, paravertebral blocks offer comparable or better analgesia with less side effects. Thoracic paravertebral blocks deserve greater consideration and investigation.

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