Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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Most ultrasound-guided regional procedures use an in-plane approach. Out-of-plane approaches may be desirable in some situations but can be difficult because of an inability to visualize the needle until it intersects the plane of the ultrasonic beam. Here we present a novel out-of-plane needle guide, using a retreating depth stop, and compare its performance with unguided in-plane and out-of-plane techniques. ⋯ In relatively inexperienced sonographers, the retreating-stop needle guide reduced the procedure time compared with in-plane and out-of-plane techniques. No significant changes in needling accuracy were observed.