Peripheral nerve blocks of the pelvic limb in dogs: A retrospective clinical study

Abstract

The success rate and the absence of neurological complications obtained support the use of LP-SN and FN-SN for loco-regional anaesthesia and analgesia in dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgery of the pelvic limb.

Blood concentration of bupivacaine and duration of sensory and motor block following ultrasound-guided femoral and sciatic nerve blocks in dogs

“…Previous reports have described combining an injection around the ScN with either a proximally-located injection of the lumbar plexus, or a more distally-located injection around either the FN or the SaN in the inguinal region [ 5 – 8 , 12 , 13 ]. Regardless of the particular technique that is used, the nerve blocks can be used as either the principal anesthetic or, more commonly, as adjuncts to general anesthesia [ 1 – 4 , 9 , 17 , 20 , 21 ]. If a local anesthetic of sufficient duration is selected, nerve conduction blockade has the potential to provide substantial post-operative pain relief as well [ 1 – 3 , 17 ].…”

“…Studies that have described blocking the FN in dogs at the level of the femoral triangle report variable success rates even when nerve stimulation and/or ultrasound visualization were employed [ 5 – 7 , 20 ]. The variable success rates of this approach may be due to the local anesthetic solution being deposited on the wrong side of the fascia iliaca.…”

“…Initial studies reported the anatomical considerations for blocking the two main nerves, the FN and the ScN, at different locations along their courses while subsequent studies described the volume of dye that is required to stain a desired length of target nerve in cadaver specimens and the technical aspects of using ultrasound and/or nerve stimulation to perform these peripheral nerve blocks [ 5 , 6 , 10 , 11 ]. Clinical studies have documented the effects of different FN and ScN blocks on intraoperative analgesia, recovery quality, and the incidence of side effects and complications related to their use for surgical procedures of the pelvic limb [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 9 , 17 , 20 , 21 ]. Based on these clinical studies in dogs, advantages of using PNBs over neuraxial or opioid-based methods of perioperative pain control include decreased inhaled anesthetic requirements, better maintenance of blood pressure during anesthesia, smoother recoveries from anesthesia, less post-operative urinary retention, and equivalent or superior postoperative analgesia.…”

Femoral nerve block: a novel psoas compartment lateral pre-iliac approach in dogs

“…Regional anaesthesia of the pelvic limbs achieved through peripheral or neuraxial nerve blocks has been investigated in several studies in veterinary medicine (Frank 1927;Mihelić et al 1995;Duke et al 2000;Campoy 2006;Bergmann et al 2007;Mahler & Adogwa 2008;Campoy et al 2010;Vettorato et al 2012). The increased interest in peripheral nerve blocks is because they produce an analgesic and anaesthetic effect comparable to neuraxial blockades, but with a lower incidence of complications (Caniglia et al 2011;Campoy et al 2012).…”

Case Report: Ultrasound Sciatic and Saphenous Nerve Blocks for Tibial Malunion Surgical Correction in a Pediatric African Leopard (Panthera pardus)

“…It has been reported (20) a motor deficit that lasted 18 h in 1 of 10 dogs after a sciatic nerve blockade with 0.3 ml/kg of a solution containing lidocaine 1% plus bupivacaine 0.25%, with complete resolution 30 h after treatment. In a retrospective evaluation of 265 sciatic nerve blocks in dogs, neurological complications were not identified at the 6-week postoperative examination (21). Selfmutilation of the dorsal aspect of the metatarsal region was reported in a dog that received a blind tibial and common peroneal nerve block (22); however, neurological damage during nerve block procedures is a very rare clinical condition (23).…”