Regional nerve block in postoperative analgesia after cesarean section: A narrative review

Of all obstetric operations, cesarean section is one of the most common. The impact of postoperative pain on physical and mental health in women cannot be ignored. Moreover, effective postoperative analgesia is essential in women who have given birth. Traditional systemic analgesic methods (intravenous analgesia, oral analgesics, etc) are often accompanied by adverse reactions that are positively correlated with the drug dosage. Regional nerve block is an analgesic and anesthetic technique that temporarily blocks nerve conduction by injecting local anesthetics around the nerve roots, nerve trunks, nerve plexus, ganglia, or surgical area, thereby alleviating or eliminating pain. Currently, the regional block techniques used for postoperative analgesia following cesarean section include paravertebral nerve block, transversus abdominis plane block, rectus sheath block, quadratus lumborum block, ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block, erector spinae block, wound infiltration analgesia, and intraperitoneal infusion of local anesthetics. These regional block techniques hold great promise for providing effective postoperative analgesia after cesarean section, each with unique advantages. Moreover, regional blocks have a unique place in multimodal analgesia protocols following cesarean section and are increasingly used in clinical practice for analgesia after cesarean section. This review provides an overview of the regional nerve block techniques used for postoperative analgesia following cesarean section, discusses their benefits and drawbacks, and provides a reference for choosing postoperative pain management following cesarean delivery, offering a hopeful outlook for improved patient care.