[Regional technics for postoperative analgesia]

Postoperative analgesia has been neglected for a long time, whereas postoperative pain has been considered inevitable cost of operations. Postoperative pain causes not only subjective difficulties, but as a stress factor affects functions of the autonomous and endocrine system, which may cause a number of disorders after the surgery. Advances in anesthesiology have contributed to increased role of anesthesiologists in application of regional techniques for postoperative pain. This paper describes regional techniques for postoperative analgesia: epidural, spinal analgesia, intercostal, paravertebral, interpleural, plexus blockade, peripheral nerve blockade and infiltrative local analgesia. Advantages and disadvantages of these techniques in regard to traditional method of parenteral analgesia in the postoperative period have been pointed out. Application of regional analgesia is recommended before the surgery, because it prolongs the time when analgesia is needed for the first time and decreases both pain and postoperative analgesia.