How and why to use ultrasound for regional blockade.

The practice of regional anaesthesia will be probably forever changed by the introduction of ultrasonography into everyday clinical practice. The ability to now visualise directly the spread of local anaesthetic solution and its relationship with the nerve allows for immediate adjustments to needle position and/or local anaesthetic volume and spread resulting theoratically in improved block performance through faster onset, reduced local anaesthetic volumes and higher success rates. However, whether US guided blocks will ever replace neurostimulation techniques is debatable especially when regional anaesthesia is performed by specialists in the field.