The use of ultrasound to perform regional anesthesia has become one of the largest
changes in the subspecialty in recent years. The publications on ultrasound have changed
from case reports and assessments about the feasibility of visualizing a nerve with
ultrasound to prospective trials comparing traditional nerve stimulation and landmark
techniques with ultrasound. The growth in ultrasound use has been exponential and
is mirroring the spread of ultrasound in other medical fields, such as obstetrics,
cardiology, emergency medicine, and vascular access. The first publications of the
use of ultrasound in regional anesthesia occurred in the late 1990s and corresponded
with advances in ultrasound technology. The improvement in ultrasound definition required
to discriminate a nerve from the surrounding tissues along with a reduction in cost
and size of the units have made ultrasound a viable part of regional anesthesia practice.
This article covers the technique and equipment required to perform ultrasound-guided
regional anesthesia and summarizes the literature covering the potential advantages
of the technique.
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© 2007 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
