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Histologic Features of Needle-Nerve and Intraneural Injection Injury as Seen on Light Microscopy

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Atlas of Functional Anatomy for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

Abstract

Needle-nerve injury and an intrafascicular injection of local anesthetic are relatively uncommon occurrences but may result in devastating complications after peripheral nerve blocks. Numerous case reports and case series have been published on disabling neurologic consequences after intramuscular injection of penicillin intraneurally into the sciatic nerve. Likewise, studies in experimental animals have documented neurotoxic effects of intraneural injections of local anesthetics. An inadvertent intrafascicular injection may lead to a variety of nerve injuries, some of which may result in permanent neurologic injury. Intrafascicular injection of local anesthetic agents, in particular, leads to at least some degree of nerve damage, typically characterized by demyelination and Wallerian degeneration.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina

    Ilvana Vuckovic-Hasanbegovic MD, PhD

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, ZOL Genk, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Catherine Vandepitte MD

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York School of Regional Anesthesia (NYSORA), New York, NY, USA

    Admir Hadzic MD, PhD

  4. College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Admir Hadzic MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Ilvana Vuckovic-Hasanbegovic MD, PhD
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  2. Catherine Vandepitte MD
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  3. Admir Hadzic MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ilvana Vuckovic-Hasanbegovic MD, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Department of Clinical Medical Sciences and Institute of Applied Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of CEU San Pablo, Madrid, Spain, and Madrid-Montepríncipe University Hospital, Madrid, Spain

    Miguel Angel Reina

  2. Department of Surgical Specialties, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Management, General University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    José Antonio De Andrés

  3. College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Anesthesiology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York School of Regional, Anesthesia (NYSORA), New York, NY, USA, and Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Admir Hadzic

  4. Laboratory of Surgical NeuroAnatomy, Human Anatomy and Embryology Unit, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Alberto Prats-Galino

  5. Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Human Anatomy and Embryology Unit, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, and Clinic Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

    Xavier Sala-Blanch

  6. Discipline of Anesthesiology, The University of Queensland and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    André A.J. van Zundert

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Vuckovic-Hasanbegovic, I., Vandepitte, C., Hadzic, A. (2015). Histologic Features of Needle-Nerve and Intraneural Injection Injury as Seen on Light Microscopy. In: Reina, M., De Andrés, J., Hadzic, A., Prats-Galino, A., Sala-Blanch, X., van Zundert, A. (eds) Atlas of Functional Anatomy for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09522-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09522-6_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09521-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09522-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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