Research Information System
MINERVA ANESTESIOLOGICA, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
BACKGROUND: This study investigates a novel femoral ring block technique designed to enhance postoperative analgesia for knee surgeries. Due to the complex innervation of the knee and the significant postoperative pain resulting from surgical interventions, effective regional anesthesia techniques are essential. Traditional methods, such as femoral, genicular nerves, and adductor canal blocks, often require multiple injections and can lead to prolonged procedure times and patient discomfort. This research hypothesizes that a high-volume injection from the midline into the femur would result in a ring-like spread of anesthetic, effectively targeting critical nerves involved in knee innervation. METHODS: Four lower extremity cadavers with no prior history of knee surgery were included in the study. To enhance visibility, two different solutions (methylene blue-acrylic green dye and saline-radio-opaque substance mixtures) were used to obtain two different colors, as determined by CT and MRI. The ring block was applied to both knees of each cadaver using the same technique and the same solution. The spread was monitored during the injections using real-time ultrasonography. CT and MRI scans were performed after the block applications. Following the imaging procedures, the cadavers were dissected. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that this technique could potentially improve analgesia quality by effectively blocking multiple nerves with a single injection, thereby reducing the number of required injections and shortening block application time. In cadaveric dissections, the superior medial and lateral geniculate nerves, the vastus intermedius and vastus medialis nerves, and the saphenous nerve running along the adductor canal were stained. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, results demonstrated that six vital nerves for knee analgesia can be blocked with a single needle entry. The new ring block technique showed promising results as a more efficient approach to knee analgesia. Although further clinical researches are needed, this study lays the groundwork for future innovations in regional anesthesia for knee surgery.