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What is Caudal Block?
Caudal
block is a regional anesthesia that involves the injection
of an anesthetic into the caudal end of the spinal canal.
Epidural anesthesia has now largely replaced the caudal
block.
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Effects of Caudal Block
The
caudal block is an easy and safe way to provide anesthesia
and post-operative analgesia for various surgical
procedures. Less general anesthesia is usually needed with a
caudal block during an operation. With a caudal block, there
will be less pain, plus a quicker recovery and waking time.
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Candidates for Caudal Block
Caudal blocks are basically used for diagnostic and
therapeutic purposes. The diagnostic blocks are given to
attempt and also establish exactly what the structural
abnormality is that is causing the symptoms. This is process
is also known as finding the 'pain generator'.
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Your
Consultation
Caudal
blocks are performed by anesthesiologists. Before the
procedure, you will be turned to your side and then the
lower back will be cleansed.
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The Caudal Block
Procedure
The caudal block procedure usually takes about 15 to 30
minutes to complete and is safely accomplished under
fluoroscopic (x-ray) control in order to increase the
accuracy of the block. The patient is asked to lie on an
x-ray table and the skin is prepped with an antiseptic. Then
the skin is numbed with local anesthetic. The procedure
needle is then placed through the anesthetized area to the
specified site and its position is checked with the x-ray
machine. It may be possible that a tiny amount of dye is
needed to help confirm the needle placement. Then the
mixture of steroid and local anesthetic is finally injected.
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Recovery
After the procedure, you will be able to move your legs but
they may feel weak or numb. It is not recommended that you
walk alone for the first 8 to 10 hours after the operation.
It is also likely that you will not feel heat on your
stomach or legs until the caudal block has worn off in about
8 to 10 hours.
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Risks
The
possible complications in this procedure include
intravascular or intraosseous injection, dural puncture,
perforation of the rectum, sepsis, urinary retention,
subcutaneous injection, hematoma and absent or patchy block.
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Frequently Asked
Questions
Q:
What is a block?
A: It is an injection of a mixture of a local anesthetic medication and a
strong anti-inflammatory medication at a specific site in
order to control inflammation and pain. Block
procedures require placing a small needle into the area of
your spine where there is pain.
Q: Do
blocks always work?
A:
Generally, there is about 70 to 80% incidence of improvement
or remission of symptoms for some period of time after the
injection. But in about 10 to 15% of the cases, the symptoms
go away and do not come back. However, normally the symptoms
go away for a period of time and then return to some extent,
usually several months after the injection.
Q: How
long will the caudal block last?
A:
The
block usually helps alleviate the pain for about 6 to 8
hours after surgery, and sometimes even up to 10 hours.
Q: Are
there side effects to this procedure?
A:
Serious side effects are extremely uncommon in this
procedure. The more common side effects are an increase in
the usual amount of pain or experiencing new pain that will
eventually resolve within one to ten days. These reactions
are called "flares" and occur rarely. Also, adverse
reactions to the corticosteroids do not normally occur and
are only temporary when they do occur. These include
headaches, euphoria, depression, swelling, skin rash and
even changes in menstrual regularity. More serious problems
such as infection or severe allergic reactions, strokes, or
heart attacks can theoretically occur at an incidence of
about one in ten thousand injections. Some discomfort from
the actual procedure is usually minimal, but it also depends
on the particular problem.
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