Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Abdominal Wall Pain Following Surgery: A Case Series.

CONCLUSIONS: TAP blocks are a valuable addition to the diagnostic armamentarium of pain physicians confronted with abdominal pain of unclear origin. Although most patients responded to the LA injection, the varying degrees of response duration may have been influenced by the different etiologies underlying each condition and the variable expressions of placebo responses. Once the abdominal wall and/or its nerves are identified as pain generators, the optimal therapeutic management remains to be determined. Available literature as well as our case series show that long-term benefit may be obtained with 1 or more injections, but we speculate that this may only be the case for pain with predominantly neuropathic components. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. PMID: 28294508 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Pain Physician - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Pain Pract Source Type: research