[Analgesia of the axilla using a paravertebral catheter in the lamina technique].

A 62-year-old female suffered from therapy-resistant pain in the axilla after lymphadenectomy. The pain ranged from 8-10 on the numeric rating scale (NRS) despite multimodal pain therapy (non-steroid anti-rheumatics, opioids, physiotherapy, acupuncture). A paravertebral trial injection was performed preoperatively on the laminae of the thoracic vertebrae Th 2-Th 4. As the patient responded well, a paravertebral catheter was inserted close to Th 4 directly before the revision operation took place the following day. The case study describes the possibilities of eliminating pain segmentally in the axilla and an alternative technique to a paravertebral block (lamina technique).