Hadzic's Regional Anesthesia > Part III. Clinical Practice of Regional Anesthesia > Section Five. Upper Extremity Nerve Blocks > Chapter 23. Cervical Plexus Block Jerry D. Vloka, MD, Tony Tsai, MD, Admir Hadzic, MD

Cervical Plexus Block: Introduction

"Cervical plexus anesthesia was developed early in the twentieth century, and two main approaches were available to the early practitioners of regional anesthesia. In 1912, Kappis described a posterior approach to the brachial plexus while attempting to block spinal nerves at the point of emergence from the vertebral column.¹ The main reason for a posterior approach to blocking the cervical plexus is the relative position of the vertebral artery and vein anterior to the plexus.² However, the posterior approach is associated with discomfort during and after the blockade, most likely due to the puncture of the extensor muscles of the neck, and has been avoided by many practitioners. As a result, the posterior approach to the cervical plexus block has not been as popular as the lateral approach, although it has been utilized to block the brachial plexus either as a single-shot or continuous technique.^2–5..."