Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is becoming an increasingly popular technique among regional anesthesiologists. During this technique the ultrasound system acts as the eye of the general anesthesiologist and helps to guide the needle for accurate placement and clear visualization of patient anatomy. As this technique increases in popularity, general anesthesiologist are demanding the best possible image quality to achieve a better view of optimal injection sites, enhanced edges and margins for more sharply defined structures and improved visibility and contrast of even the smallest structures
Ultrasound image of the brachial plexus (arrow) in the supraclavicular area. SA is the subclavian artery, and the lung (not seen) is just distal to RIB 1; these are important structures to avoid. The anterior scalene muscle (ASM) and middle scalene muscle (MSM) are also visualized.
Lower Extremity–Femoral Nerve
Femoral structures are in close proximity to each other, making the femoral nerve very challenging to find safely without ultrasound.