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Published on: June 25, 2013
Distribution of Injectate and Sensory-Motor Blockade After Adductor Canal Block
Philippe E Gautier1, Admir Hadzic, Jean-Pierre Lecoq
1From the *Department of Anesthesiology, Clinique Ste Anne-St Remi, Brussels, Belgium; †Ziekenhuis, Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium; ‡Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medecine, Liege University Hospital, Liege, Belgium; and §North American Institute for Continuing Education (NAICE), New York, New York.
Background:
The analgesic efficacy reported for the adductor canal block may be related to the spread of local anesthetic outside the adductor canal.
Methods:
Fifteen patients undergoing knee surgery received ultrasound-guided injections of local anesthetic at the level of the adductor hiatus. Sensory-motor block and spread of contrast solution were assessed.
Results:
Sensation was rated as "markedly diminished" or "absent" in the saphenous nerve distribution and "slightly diminished" in the sciatic nerve territory without motor deficits. Contrast solution was found in the popliteal fossa.
Conclusions:
The spread of injectate to the popliteal fossa may contribute to the analgesic efficacy of adductor canal block.
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