Nerve stimulator-guided paravertebral lumbar plexus anaesthesia in dogs.

The aim of this work was to compare the analgesic effect of a paravertebral lumbar plexus block to a systemic opioid in dogs scheduled for orthopaedic surgery of the pelvic limb. For this study, twenty dogs were enrolled, divided into two groups of ten animals. First group: tratted with bupivacaine 0,25% at 0,5 mg/kg (0,2 ml/kg) Second group (control group): tratted with Methadone 0,2 mg/kg IV (Eptadone 10 mg/l ml MOLTENI® FARMACEUTICI) in premedication. The employment of paravertebral anaesthesia with the nerve simulator allows the placement of local anaesthetic strictly closer to the nerve trunks, decreasing the required total dose of local anaesthetic. Furthermore, this technique results in a better-quality alternative to systemic analgesia because it completely blocks the nociceptive stimulus at the pre-spinal level, reducing the side effects related to the systemic use of opioid drugs.