Ultrasound Guided Nerve Blocks for Abdomen

Regional anesthesia is a multimodal, interdisciplinary approach that can be applied to various abdominal surgeries. Abdominal wall blocks, such as the Quadratus lumborum block, provide excellent somatic and visceral analgesia. Ultrasound guidance is now considered a gold standard for abdominal wall blocks and overall increases the efficiency of performing the blocks, as well as decreasing side effects when compared to landmark-based techniques. These blocks provide the anesthesiologist with a choice other than neuraxial anesthesia for the control of acute pain, which leads to avoiding potential complications associated with general anesthesia, a reduction in patient systemic opioid requirements, and decreased opioid-associated side effects. In this manuscript we will discuss information regarding abdomen blocks, advantages, disadvantages, recent advances in techniques, anatomy, indications, and complications for each block.