The in plane vs out of plane is a common debate among the anesthesiologists worl

Posted by hellensmith on February 23rd, 2013

The domain of medicine has become very complex and has improved a lot in the past few years, due to the many techniques and procedures which have been developed by some specialists. The ultrasound procedures have gained ground lately, due to the fact that they lower the risks of complications in case of a procedure. The ultrasound blocks represent common procedures in which local anesthetic is deposited in certain areas of the body. The paravertebral block ultrasound is a good example for this kind of anesthesia, which can be performed in two ways, in or out of plane. There is a controversy on the subject of in plane vs out of plane methods.

An ultrasound anesthesia can be performed with a needle in plane or out of plane, which are very different. In which concerns the in place approach, the needle gets right through the skin, where the probe is. On the contrary, with the out of plane method, the needle does not enter the skin on the side of the probe. In plane is also known as simply OOP technique and the in plane is also called IP technique. The problem with the in plane vs out of plane techniques which are used for ultrasound anesthesia procedures is still debatable, because the opinions of the specialists in this field are numerous and they are not able to determine which one of these two methods are more useful and accurate.

Both in plane and out of place techniques have their own advantages and disadvantages. The out of plane technique is very popular among the anesthesiologists all over the world. The in plane technique is mostly used for the potential ability to visualize the local area while the needle advances, which means that the procedure is much more precise. This is the main reason why most of the specialists in this domain choose this type of approach instead of the other one. The in plane vs out of plane debate is still presents nowadays, because some believe that the first one is more adequate, while others believe that the other one is better.

On the website mentioned above, you can find a couple of procedures, such as the paravertebral block ultrasound, described with a lot of details, so you can be able to learn how to practice it. This type of anesthesia is indicated for any type of breast surgery and its difficulty is moderated. For an experienced practitioner, this procedure takes from 2 to 5 minutes and for a beginner it may take a couple more minutes. Anyways, on the website already mentioned you can read all you need for learning this type of technique and you can also watch videos, in order to understand better what you need to do.

If you need information about certain techniques of ultrasound anesthesia, such as the paravertebral block ultrasound , you should visit the website created by a great doctor named Michael J. Fredrickson. He presents the good and the bad parts of both in plane and out plane techniques, offering some answers for the long-lasting in plane vs out of plane  problem.