Anatomy of the greater occipital nerve block in infants

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dc.contributor.author Prigge, Lane
dc.contributor.author Van Schoor, Albert-Neels
dc.contributor.author Bosenberg, Adrian T.
dc.date.accessioned 2019-10-10T07:40:47Z
dc.date.issued 2019-09
dc.description.abstract BACKGROUND : Pain relief for posterior fossa craniotomies as well as occipital neuralgia, are indications for the use of the greater occipital nerve block in children. The greater occipital nerve originates from the C2 spinal nerve and is accompanied by the occipital artery as it supplies the posterior scalp. AIMS : The aim of this study was to develop a unique, yet simple technique for blocking the greater occipital nerve in children through the evaluation of the anatomy of this nerve and the accompanying occipital artery in the occipital region. METHODS : The greater occipital nerve and occipital artery were dissected and exposed in six formalin‐fixed cadavers (five infants [average age of 51.4 days] and one 2‐year‐old) from the Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria. Measurements between the nerve and selected bony landmarks were obtained. The relationship between the greater occipital nerve and the occipital artery at the trapezius muscle hiatus was also evaluated. RESULTS : The greater occipital nerve is on average 22.6 ± 5.6 mm from the external occipital protuberance in infants. The average width of the medial three fingers measured at the proximal interphalangeal joint, for each respective cadaver is 20.4 ± 4.0 mm, with a strong correlation coefficient of 0.97 between the aforementioned distances. In 83.3% of the specimens, the occipital artery lies lateral to the greater occipital nerve at the trapezius muscle hiatus. CONCLUSION : In infants, the greater occipital nerve can be blocked approximately 23 mm from the external occipital protuberance, medial to the occipital artery. This distance is equal to the width of the medial three fingers at the proximal interphalangeal joint of the patient. en_ZA
dc.description.department Anatomy en_ZA
dc.description.embargo 2020-09-01
dc.description.librarian hj2019 en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pan en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Prigge L, van Schoor AN, Bosenberg AT. Anatomy of the greater occipital nerve block in infants. Pediatric Anesthesia 2019;29:945–949. https ://doi.org/10.1111/pan.13693. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 1155-5645 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1460-9592 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1111/pan.13693
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/71771
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Wiley en_ZA
dc.rights © 2019 John Wiley and Sons Ltd. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article : Anatomy of the greater occipital nerve block in infants. Pediatric Anesthesia 2019;29:945–949. https ://doi.org/10.1111/pan.13693. The definite version is available at : http://http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pan. en_ZA
dc.subject Anatomical en_ZA
dc.subject Anesthesia en_ZA
dc.subject Child pain en_ZA
dc.subject Occipital artery en_ZA
dc.subject Regional en_ZA
dc.subject Neck blocks en_ZA
dc.subject Head en_ZA
dc.subject Children en_ZA
dc.title Anatomy of the greater occipital nerve block in infants en_ZA
dc.type Postprint Article en_ZA


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