PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled Ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block in a patient with multiple glomangiomatosis (Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2008 Jan-Feb;33(1):70-3). Authors are Duggan E Brull R Lai J et al, from the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto Western Hospital University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Glomangiomas are rare, vascular tumors consisting of an afferent artery, arteriovenous canal, neuro-reticular elements, collagen, and efferent veins, and are most often located in the soft tissue of the upper extremities. We describe how the use of ultrasound-guided nerve blockade altered the anesthetic management of a patient with multiple glomangiomatosis undergoing elective forearm surgery.Although multiple glomangiomatosis is a rare disease, this case illustrates the invaluable contribution that ultrasound has made to modern, regional anesthetic practice, especially for patients with aberrant anatomy in whom traditional nerve-localization techniques could result in serious complications. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.
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