[Ultrasound-guided Truncal Block for Abdominal Surgery: Present and Future Perspectives]

Patients undergoing abdominal surgery can experi- ence severe pain due to the abdominal wall incision. Epidural anesthesia has been considered as the gold standard for perioperative analgesia in abdominal sur- gery. However, currently, many patients receive pro- phylactic anticoagulation therapy preoperatively with potential complications. For such cases, while epidural anesthesia is contraindicated, the use of ultrasound- guided peripheral nerve block is increasing. In abdomi- nal surgery, ultrasound-guided rectus sheath block and transversus abdominis plane block are commonly used for perioperative analgesia. The use of ultrasound ren- ders these block techniques safe and reliable. Cur- rently, a new abdominal peripheral nerve block, qua- dratus lumborum block, is gaining attention because it is thought to have a wider range of analgesia and a longer duration of effect As the analgesic properties of these blocks are limited in extent and duration, it is important to select the appropriate approach. Ultrasound-guided abdominal trunk block can con- tribute to perioperative multimodal analgesia.