• Juan P Giraldo, Gabriella P Williams, James J Zhou, Nafis B Eghrari, Teresa Kalantari, Joseph M Abbatematteo, Jonathan J Lee, S Harrison Farber, Luke K O'Neill, and Juan S Uribe.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Aug 28; 192: 636763-67.

BackgroundThoracic discectomy procedures require early and adequate pain control to alleviate patient discomfort after surgery. The intraoperative placement of a nerve block after intercostal nerve violation can offer early pain management after thoracic discectomy.MethodsThe anatomy and technique of placing an intercostal nerve block after retropleural thoracic discectomy are described. Patient data were collected for patients who underwent this technique.ResultsThis approach is presented with an illustrative figure and a review of relevant anatomical landmarks to describe the technique and ensure its reproducibility. Data for 93 patients (57 [61%] women; 36 [39%] men; mean [SD] age, 54.1 [14.1] years) who underwent the procedure are provided to assess the reliability of this technique.ConclusionsIntercostal nerve blockage offers a valuable addition to postoperative pain management and may be considered as an available pain relief option for patients undergoing thoracic discectomy.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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