RT Book, Section
A1 Vloka, Jerry D.
A1 Hadzic, Admir
A2 Hadzic, Admir
SR Print(0)
ID 3502563
T1 Chapter 38. Block of the Sciatic Nerve in the Popliteal Fossa
T2 NYSORA Textbook of Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management
YR 2007
FD 2007
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071449069
LK accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=3502563
RD 2024/04/23
AB Distal  sciatic  nerve  block  (popliteal  fossa  block)  is  a  relatively  simple  technique  that  results  in  reliable  surgical  anesthesia  of  the  calf,  tibia,  fibula,  ankle,  and  foot.1,2  Consequently,  this  technique  is  used  primarily  for  anesthesia  or  analgesia  for  foot,  ankle,  and  lower-leg  surgery.3  The  sciatic  nerve  can  be  approached  from  either  the  posterior  approach  described  by  Rorie,3  or  the  lateral  approach,  which  eliminates  the  need  to  reposition  patients  in  the  supine  position.1  With  the  lateral  popliteal  fossa  block,  patients  remain  supine  for  the  block  and  catheter  placement,  rather  than  being  prone  and  then  turning  supine  after  the  block  is  placed.  Both  approaches  provide  equivalent  surgical  anesthesia  after  nerve  blockade.1  With  both  approaches,  catheters  can  be  inserted  to  provide  prolonged  postoperative  analgesia;  catheters,  however,  are  more  easily  secured  in  the  lateral  position.  Because  of  the  slower  resolution  of  neural  blockade  in  the  lower  extremity,  popliteal  fossa  block  performed  with  long-acting  local  anesthetics  such  as  ropivacaine  can  provide  12–24  hours  of  analgesia  after  foot  surgery.  The  remarkable  safety  of  the  block  has  been  demonstrated  in  numerous  studies.3,4