A reliable septum exists between the lateral cord and medial and posterior cords in the costoclavicular region: Clinical and microanatomical considerations in brachial plexus anesthetic blockade.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The ultrasound-guided proximal infraclavicular costoclavicular block (PICB) appears popular but its results are inconsistent. We sought an accurate demonstration of septae formed between the brachial plexus cords. METHODS: We performed in-plane, lateral-to-medial PICBs on 120 patients and recorded images. Once the most superficial lateral cord component was entered, a 0.4-0.6 mA current was applied to confirm needle placement; 5 ml of local anesthetic (LA) solution was then injected and its spread was observed and recorded. As the needle was advanced, the presence or absence of a hyperechoic linear structure was noted before the deeper compartment was reached, specifically looking for the possible displacement of such a septum. RESULTS: Upon initial scanning, a septum was observed in 67 of the 120 patients (46.2%). However, there was clear displacement of a linear septum between the lateral cord compartment and the medial and posterior cord compartments that prevented spread between the compartments in 94.16% of patients. Piercing the septum evoked motor responses from the medial or posterior cord. The same anatomical regions were studied microanatomically by analyzing cross-sections obtained with the same approach angle as the ultrasound probe. CONCLUSIONS: Intraplexus fascial septae that bundled the medial and posterior cords into one compartment and separated them from the lateral cord were demonstrated and confirmed microanatomically. This suggests the need for two separate injections (or two separate catheter placements for continuous peripheral nerve blockade) into the superficial and deep compartments to ensure LA spread around all three cords of the brachial plexus at this level.

Extrafasicular and Intraperineural, but No Endoneural, Spread after Deliberate Intraneural Injections in a Cadaveric Study.

BACKGROUND: There is confusion regarding the spread of intraneurally injected local anesthetic agents during regional anesthesia. The aim of this research was to deliberately inject a marker that does not leave the neural compartment into which it is injected, and then to study the longitudinal and circumferential spread and possible pathways of intraneural spread. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, we intraneurally injected 20 and 5 ml of heparinized blood solution under ultrasound guidance into 12 sciatic nerves in the popliteal fossa and 10 median nerves, respectively, of eight fresh, unembalmed cadavers using standard 22-gauge "D" needles, mimicking the blocks in clinical conditions. Ultrasound evidence of nerve swelling confirmed intraneural injection. Samples of the nerves were then examined under light and scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: Extrafascicular spread was observed in all the adipocyte-containing neural compartments of the 664 cross-section samples we examined, but intrafascicular spread was seen in only 6 cross-sections of two nerves. None of the epineurium, perineurium, or neural components were disrupted in any of the samples. Spread between the layers of the perineurium was a route of spread that included the perineurium surrounding the fascicles and the perineurium that formed incomplete septa in the fascicles. Similar to the endoneurium proper, subepineural compartments that did not contain any fat cells did not reveal any spread of heparinized blood solution cells. No "perineural" spaces were observed within the endoneurium. We also did not observe any true intrafascicular spread. CONCLUSIONS: After deliberate intraneural injection, longitudinal and circumferential extrafascicular spread occurred in all instances in the neural compartments that contained adipocytes, but not in the relatively solid endoneurium of the fascicles.

A novel marker for identifying and studying the membranes, barriers, and compartments surrounding peripheral nerves microscopically.

Recent anatomical discoveries indicate the importance of identifying membranes and compartments surrounding peripheral nerves into which local anesthetic agents can be injected and continuous nerve block catheters placed during regional anesthetic procedures. However, current markers used in anatomical studies have multiple drawbacks, specifically extravasation into noninjected locations, which can result in inadequate treatment. We studied a readily-available new marker, heparinized blood solution (HBS), which is easy to identify by microscopy and can remain in the nerve compartment into which it is deposited without distorting the tissue. We collected blood from 22 patients and prepared it as HBS. This was then injected into four fresh cadavers as in routine clinical practice for ultrasound-guided nerve blocks to form a so-called "doughnut" by "hydro-dissecting" at 32 sites. All samples, including nerves and neighboring tissues, were then prepared and examined by light microscopy. Although no deliberate intraneural injection was attempted, the marker was identified inside all the nerve compartments except the fascicles. Apart from leaking through the needle entry site in some instances, there was no extravasation of the HBS into neighboring nerve compartments in either direction. The tissues were not distorted and the erythrocytes did not form a thrombus. Nerve membranes and compartments could be clearly identified with routine staining. This technique enabled us to study the longitudinal and circumferential spread in all nerve compartments and to collect data for better interpretation of factors influencing an anesthetic nerve block and situations in which complications could possibly arise. HBS seemed superior to other markers because it did not leave the compartments into which it had been injected, did not distort the tissue, and was easily visible under the light microscope. Clin. Anat., 31:1050-1057, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.