Novel paravertebral block during single-incision thoracoscopic surgery for primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Recently, the use of paravertebral block (PVB) during thoracic surgery has been re-evaluated, as it is not inferior to epidural anaesthesia for postoperative pain control, and has been associated with fewer complications (e.g., hematoma of epidural, hypotension, urinary retention, postoperative nausea and vomiting). No reports have described intraoperative catheterization for PVB during single-incision thoracoscopic surgery (SITS) as distinct from thoracotomy or multi-ports video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. We describe a case of SITS bullectomy using a chest wall pulley for lung excision to treat primary spontaneous pneumothorax and 25 catheterizations for PVB during SITS that have been performed since June 2013. Our novel technique is both easy and safe. It is ideal to combine PVB with SITS because both methods are less invasive.