A surgeon-performed saphenous nerve block from within the knee after it exits from the adductor canal at the time of total knee arthroplasty is feasible and may be a useful alternative to an ultrasound-guided block, according to a study in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.
Here are four things to know.
1. This retrospective analysis of 94 thigh-knee MRI studies was performed to determine the relationship between the width of the distal femur at the epicondylar axis and the proximal location of the saphenous nerve after its exit from the adductor canal and separation from the superficial femoral artery.
2. The researchers obtained these studies from one hospital's MRI library. These studies were performed to evaluate thigh and knee trauma or unexplained pain.
3. TKA resections and trial component implantation were performed in cadaveric specimens.
4. Based on MRI measurements, cadaveric injections and dissections, a surgeon-performed saphenous nerve block may be a viable alternative to an anesthesiologist-performed femoral nerve or adductor canal block.
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