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Lumbar Plexus Blocks

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Ultrasound in Peripheral, Neuraxial and Perineuraxial Regional Anaesthesia

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Abstract

The lumbar plexus (LP) (Fig. 6.1a) participates in innervation of the abdominal wall, the external genitalia and the lower limb (Fig. 6.1b). It consists at origin of the union of the ventral branches of the spinal nerves L1, L2, L3 and L4 (a branch of the ventral branch of T12 frequently joins it with L1). It is located between the two heads of the psoas major muscle laterally in relation to the lumbar vertebral column, in a cleaved, aponeurotic space, demarcated dorsally by muscle fibres which insert on the transverse process (TP) and ventrally by fibres which insert on the lateral aspects of the vertebral bodies and on the corresponding discs. In this space, the ascending lumbar vein also passes. Anastomoses and interconnections of these different branches eventually form the terminal branches of the lumbar plexus (Fig. 6.2) which are the iliohypogastric (L1), ilioinguinal (L1), genitofemoral (L1-L2), lateral cutaneous of the thigh (L2-L3), femoral (L2-L3-L4) and obturator nerves (L2-L3-L4) as follows [1]:

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Change history

  • 05 November 2023

    A correction has been published.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département d’anesthésie et réanimation, Clinique Pôle Santé République, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Eryk Eisenberg

  2. Département d’anesthésie et réanimation chirurgicale, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France

    Elisabeth Gaertner

  3. Service de chirurgie du membre supérieur, Centre de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de la Main (CCOM), Illkirch, France

    Philippe Clavert

Authors
  1. Eryk Eisenberg
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  2. Elisabeth Gaertner
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  3. Philippe Clavert
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Département d’anesthésie et réanimation, Clinique Pôle Santé République, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Eryk Eisenberg

  2. Département d’anesthésie et réanimation chirurgicale, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France

    Elisabeth Gaertner

Electronic Supplementary Material

Ultrasound guided Perineural Femoral Catheter, lateral in plane approach (MP4 89716 kb)

Ultrasound guided Femoral Nerve Block, lateral in plane approach (MP4 141366 kb)

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Eisenberg, E., Gaertner, E., Clavert, P. (2023). Lumbar Plexus Blocks. In: Eisenberg, E., Gaertner, E. (eds) Ultrasound in Peripheral, Neuraxial and Perineuraxial Regional Anaesthesia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08804-9_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08804-9_6

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-08803-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08804-9

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