title: Ultrasound-guided musculocutaneous nerve block: a description of a novel technique.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Localizing the musculocutaneous nerve for neural blockade is crucial to providing surgical anesthesia for the distal forearm. We present a novel approach for localizing and anesthetizing the musculocutaneous nerve.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten patients underwent successful ultrasound-guided musculocutaneous nerve blocks. In this technique, either a 10-MHz or a 12-MHz linear probe was placed at the junction of the pectoralis major muscle and the biceps muscle such that the axillary artery was visualized in cross section. The probe was moved towards the biceps muscle until the musculocutaneous nerve was visualized lying between the coracobrachialis and biceps muscles. A 22-gauge, 50-mm b-bevel needle was inserted under direct vision until the needle was adjacent to the nerve. Local anesthetic was then injected, which generated surgical anesthetic conditions in all patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasound can facilitate the localization and local anesthetic block of the musculocutaneous nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Dartmouth Medical School, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire 03756, USA. brian.c.spence@hitchcock.org
authors.forename: Brian C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Sites
authors.forename: Mike L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Beach
mesh_terms: D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D009138:Musculocutaneous Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local