Thoracic paravertebral anaesthesia for awake video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery daily.

Thoracic paravertebral blockade has been described as an effective alternative to epidural blockade for the management of postoperative pain after thoracic surgery. Here we present what we believe is the first description of the use of thoracic paravertebral block as the sole anaesthetic for video-assisted thoracoscopy. Two oncology patients with severe respiratory disease presented for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Thoracic paravertebral block provided excellent surgical conditions and postoperative pain relief for these patients and allowed an optimal assessment of the anaesthetic impact on respiratory function.