Abstract
Primary breast augmentation surgery is one of the most performed cosmetic procedures among women. In the male population, another breast surgery occupies a prominent place: gynecomastia. Regional anesthesia for plastic surgery is part of a multimodal analgesia strategy that can reduce costs, reduce hospitalization, and pain in the postoperative period. The purpose of this article is to review and compare the most used ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques for perioperative analgesia in aesthetic plastic surgery of the breasts. A review of clinical studies that investigated the association of regional anesthesia techniques guided by ultrasound with cosmetic plastic surgery of the breast in the last 5 years was carried out in the MEDLINE/PubMed database. Fourteen articles were selected for review. The most frequently reported techniques of regional anesthesia guided by ultrasound were paravertebral block (PVB), interfascial block (PECS 1 and PECS 2), serratus plane block (SPB), and intercostal block (IB). The lower consumption of opioids and better postoperative pain control were associated with PVB, PECS 1 and PECS 2, and SPB. PVB had a higher incidence of complications and PECS 1 and PECS 2 proved to be easier to perform. Interfascial blocks (PECS 1 and PECS 2) proved to be safer and easier to perform in cosmetic plastic surgery of the breasts than other types of blocks. They decrease the use of opioids and its side effects, reduce the length of hospital stay and recovery in the postoperative period.
Keywords:
Mammoplasty; Anesthesia and analgesia; Postoperative pain; Pain management; Breast implants