Anatomic Structures

Direct ultrasound visualization significantly improves the outcome of most techniques in regional anesthesia.¹ With the help of high-resolution ultrasonography, the anesthesiologist can directly visualize relevant structures for upper and lower extremity nerve blocks at all levels. Such direct visualization can improve the quality of nerve blocks and avoid complications. The benefits of directly visualizing targeted structures and monitoring the distribution of local anesthetic are significant. This ultrasound monitoring allows the anesthesiologist to reposition the block needle in the event of maldistribution of injected local anesthetic.

This section contains a brief overview of musculoskeletal imaging with ultrasound. Several structures are commonly imaged during regional blocks. Precise identification of these anatomic structures often involves tracking their course from start to end with ultrasound imaging.