Table 3.
Advantages and disadvantages of TLA
Advantages | Hydrodissection effect |
The addition of epinephrine results in less intraoperative bleeding | |
The slow infiltration, pressure buildup, and marked lipophilicity of LA, together with vasoconstrictors, result in a prolonged effect of TLA | |
The long-lasting anesthetic effect leads to a reduction in postoperative pain | |
Ease of administration—compared to epidural, intercostal block and paravertebral block, TLA is very resource efficient and does not require individuals with special skills | |
Local anesthetics also have antimicrobial activity [28] | |
Disadvantages | Moist surgical site |
Time-consuming infiltration | |
Guidance of the awake patient | |
Possible intraoperative pain with necessary additional analgesia | |
(Low) risk of intravascular application of TLA solution |