Regional anaesthesia · Head and neck
Head and neck blocks
Blocks for the neck, scalp, face, airway and eye: how to do them, what they cover, and which one to choose for the operation in front of you.
Five pages
Choose a region
Each page covers anatomy, position, equipment, technique, dose, coverage and complications, with a simulated ultrasound or a schematic section for the needle path.
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Page 1 · Neck
Cervical plexus
- Superficial and intermediate cervical plexus
- Deep cervical plexus
- Carotid endarterectomy and thyroid surgery
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Page 2 · Scalp
Scalp and occipital
- Scalp block: the seven sites
- Greater and lesser occipital nerves
- Awake craniotomy
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Page 3 · Face
Face
- Supraorbital and supratrochlear
- Infraorbital and mental
- Maxillary and mandibular nerves
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Page 4 · Airway
Airway
- Topical anaesthesia and lidocaine doses
- Superior laryngeal and transtracheal
- Glossopharyngeal
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Page 5 · Eye
Eye
- Peribulbar and retrobulbar
- Sub-Tenon’s
- Topical, and choosing a technique
Across all five pages
Which block for which operation
Pick an operation to see the area to cover and the block options.
Local anaesthetic systemic toxicity. Arteries in the head and neck run straight to the brain: 0.5 ml or less injected into one can cause a seizure. Aspirate, inject slowly, and keep the total within the maximum, especially with bilateral blocks and topical lidocaine.