Chapter 41. Ultrasound-Guided Ankle Block

• Indications: surgery on the foot and toes
• Transducer position: about the ankle and depends on the nerve to be blocked
• Goal: local anesthetic spread surrounding each individual nerve
• Local anesthetic: 3-10 mL per nerve

Using an ultrasound-guided technique affords a practitioner the ability to reduce the volume of local anesthetic required for ankle blockade. Because the nerves involved are located relatively close to the surface, ankle blocks are easy to perform technically; however, knowledge of the anatomy of the ankle is essential to ensure success.

Ankle block involves anesthetizing five separate nerves: 2 deep nerves and 3 superficial nerves. The 2 deep nerves are tibial (TN) and deep peroneal nerve (DPN). The superficial nerves are superficial peroneal, sural and saphenous. All nerves except saphenous nerve are terminal branches of the sciatic nerve; saphenous nerve is a cutaneous extension of the femoral nerve.

Tibial Nerve

The tibial nerve is the largest of the five nerves at the ankle level and provides innervation to the heel and sole of the foot. With a linear transducer placed transversely at (or just proximal to) the level of the medial malleolus, the nerve can be seen immediately posterior to the posterior tibial artery (Figures 41-1, 41-2, and 41-3A and B). Color Doppler can be very useful in depicting the posterior tibial artery when it is not readily apparent. The nerve typically appears hyperechoic with dark stippling. A useful mnemonic for the relevant structures in the vicinity is Tom, Dick ANd Harry, which refers to, from anterior to posterior, the tibialis anterior tendon, flexor digitorum longus tendon, artery/nerve/vein, and flexor hallucis longus tendon. These tendons can resemble the nerve in appearance, which can be confusing. The nerve's intimate relationship with the artery should be kept in mind to avoid misidentification.

Deep Peroneal Nerve

This branch of the common peroneal nerve innervates the web space between the first and second toes. As it approaches the ankle, the nerve crosses ...