Anesthesia for percutaneous renal procedures.

Anesthesia for radiologic procedures is usually provided in locations remote from the operating theater. The anesthesiologist is removed from the environment in which experienced support is available for the care of anesthetized patients. Therefore, reliable anesthetic techniques that cause the least perturbation in the patient's physiology are often preferred. This is a report of the application of a paravertebral and lumbar sympathetic block to provide anesthesia for the renal pelvis and ureter so that percutaneous radiologic procedures that involve the manipulation and dilation of those areas can be performed with minimal patient discomfort.