1. How to Block and Tackle the
Face
Authors:Barry M.zide, D.M.D,M.D.,and Richard swift
2. Introduction:
Advent of laser facial surgery and aesthetic facial procedures has
increased the demand for anesthesia.
Choice of local anesthestic depends on length of procedure and how
long post analgesia is desired.
3. Blocks:
Set of eight blocks is done to anesthetize the entire surface of face.
Infraorbital block
Mental nerve block
Supraorbital/supratrochlear/infratrochlear
Dorsal nasal block
Zygomaticotemporal
Zygomaticofacial
Great auricular
V3 block
5. Infraorbital block:
ANATOMY:
Infraorbital foramen is located on the line from medial limbus 4 to
7mm below the orbital rim.
Nerve travels through a canal or groove in orbital floor and exits
through a foramen ,which faces downward and medially.
7. Technique:
Transcutaneous nasolabial approach:
This approach has a point of inj. Medial to upper nasolabial groove a
few mm lateral to alar groove.
The inj. Point for the infraorbital nerve is in the center of small
triangle lateral to the alar rim and medial to nasolabial fold.
Hold your left index finger on infraorbital rim,ask the patient to look
straight ahead.holding the syringe like pen. Advance the needle to
bone toward the designated point about 4 to 7 mm down from rim.
8. Area of anesthesia:
Nose, cheeks ,lip and eyelid.
Almost entire side of nose ,base of columella.
9. Mental nerve:
ANATOMY:
Mental nerve exits from a foramen below the apex of 2nd
bicuspid.
Variability of this foramen is 6 to 10mm ant. Or 6 to 10 mm post. To
this.
Exits foramen as two or three fascicles or group that divides into 2 or
3 fascicles
2 of the three branches supplies the pink lip and slightly below the
vermilion to the labiomental fold
One may supply skin lower down onto the chin.
10. Mental Nerve Block
3rd
branch supplies the skin and chin below.
This branching variability implies any transcutaneous external block to
the mental foramen is unreliable.
11. Technique:
It can be blocked submuscosally.
Locate the 2nd
bicuspid
Place the needle tip in buccal sulcus near the base of tooth and inject.
Nerve itself is not covered by muscle after it leaves the foramen,just a
thin layer of mucosa and perineural sheath.
Use thumb of one hand to pullout the lower lip,lateral to the lower
canine tooth
Nerve is visible in 85 % of time.
Inject small amout under the mucosa.
13. Area of anesthesia:
Lower lip down to the labiamental fold
Chin pad and area lateral to it is not always affected.
Entire chin must be numbed by 3 procedures
Direct local infusion
Inf. Alveolar nerve block at lingual
Mental plus injection
14. Mental plus injection:
To block chin, an end branch of mental nerve and terminal branches
of mylohyoid nerve need to be blocked.
After the mental nerve block pass the needle at least 1cm in front of
the vestibule to the inferior mandibular border to block the rest of
lower lip and chin pad.
15. Supraorbital/infraorbital/infratrochlear:
ANATOMY:
Supraorbital notch is palpable at supraorbital rim just above the
medial limbus.
Supraorbital nerve exits the foramen,transverses the lower corrugator
muscles,and then branches.
Nerve splits into 2 main branches,medial and lateral
Medial branches proceed cephalad on the surface of the frontalis to
supply the skin of the forehead medially and the ant.scalp for many
centimeters.
17. Lateral branches under the frontalis muscle,supply the lateral
Lateral branches are injected separately.
Suratrochlear nerve supply the midforehead
Infratrochlear nerve is the branch of the nasociliary nerve that runs
along the medial orbital wall and leaves the orbit below the trochlea
to supply the skin in medial eyelids,side of the nose above the medial
canthus,medial conjunctiva,and lacrimal apparatus.
18. Technique:
Block is performed by an injection along the supraorbital rim from
lateral to medial.
Stretch the eyebrow laterally and pierce the lateral part of the middle
third of eyebrow.
Aim the needle at the supraorbital notch,which is palpable.
Other hand always on rim.and another 1cc is deposited as the needle
advances toward and touches the nasal bones. Pt. can get some
periorbital ecchymosis from this and thus should be warned.
19. Numb area:
Forehead skin from the level of the superior temporal line or
temporal fusion line almost to the mid line.
Middle 50% of the upper eyelid skin
Frontoparietal scalp between the midline and the superior temporal
line,with anesthetic scalp area extending posteriorly to approx. the
level of vertical plane drawn perpendicularly to the post. Edge of
helical rim of ear.
20. Dorsal nasal block:
ANATOMY:
Ant. Ethmoidal branch of nasociliary nerve enters the anterior
ethmoidal foramen to pass into cranial cavity.
From there it runs forward in a groove in the upper surface of the
cribriform plate beneath the dura.
Through the slit lateral to the crista galli,nerve enters the nasal cavity
hugging a groove on the internal surface of the nasal bones.
First suppling the ant. Septal mucosa and lateral nasal wall anteriorly,it
emerges as dorsal nasal nerve at the lower border of the nasal bone 6
to 10mm off the midline
21. Nerve exits in the small groove in the distal nasal bones and passes
under the nasalis transervis muscle to supply some of the skin of the
ala,vestibule and lip. Painful nasal tip injections can be avoided by this
block.
22. Technique:
Palpate the nasal midline
Feel the end of the nasal bone using the thumb on one side and index
finger on the other side.
Nerve exits about 6 to 10mm from the midline of the nasal bones and
1 to 2 cc of injectate is sufficient for each side.
25. Zygomaticotemporal block:
ANATOMY:
Zygomatic nerve is the terminal branch of the maxillary trigeminal
nerve,V2.
It enters the orbit through the inferior orbital fissure.
Zygomatic nerve branches into 2 terminal branches
Zygomaticotemporal and zygomaticofacial
ZYGOMATICOTEMPORAL nerve provides sensory innervation to the
fan shaped area posterior to the lateral orbital rim extending into the
hair.
27. Zygomaticotemporal nerve courses more lateraly in the orbit to pass
through the foramen on the posterior cancave surface of the lateral
orbital rim slightly above or below the lateral canthal level.
28. Technique:
From above the patient the surgeon injects behind the lateral orbital
rim with needle insertion at about 10 to 12mm behind and just below
the zygomaticofrontal suture .
By sliding the 1.5 inch needle along the mid posterior bony wall toward
a point about 1 cm below the canthal level, that can be block easily
during the pull out.
29. Numb area:
Fan shaped area about a quarter of a circle
Upper limit:area numb by the forehead block
Lower limit:line from the lateral canthal area back to the hair and into
the temporal scalp
30. Zygomaticofacial nerve:
ANATOMY:
Emerges through the foramen on the ant. Surface of the zygoma
Branches exits from anterolateral aspect of the mallar bones just
lateral to the infraorbital rim
The foramen are the few mm lateral to the inferior orbital rim
32. Technique:
Always done right after the zygomaticotemoral block
Injected with the patient head slightly turned
Anesthetic is deposited into area just lateral to the junction of the
lateral and inf. Orbital rim
34. Great auricular nerve block:
ANATOMY:
Largest ascending branch of cervical plexus C2 C3 .
6.5cm down from the lower external ear canal
Divides into end branches the supply the skin over the parotid and
angle of mandible, most of the lower ear,and the skin over the
mastoid process
35. Technique:
flex the sternocleidomastoid muscle
Mark the skin of upper ant. And post. Sternocleifomastoid borders with
2 parallel lines
Draw a 3 line between the 2 lines in mid muscle
Measure down 6.5cm from lower border of external acoustic meatus to
the mid sternocleidomastoid
36. Numb area:
Lower 1/3rd
of the ear and the lower post auricular skin.
37. V3 nerve block:
ANATOMY:
Mandibular branch of cranial nerve V.
Travels behind the pterygoid muscle about 1cm post. To the pterygoid
plate
Spinal needle traverses the skin and subcutaneous tissue passes
through the post masseter,notch,and temporalis muscle to hit the
pterygoid muscle origin at the pterygoid plate.
38. Technique:
Find the sigmoid notch depression by palpation below the zygomatic
arch
This notch is 2.5cm ant. To the tragus
Ask the patient to open the mouth widely
Condyles slide can be felt on fingertips
Ask the patient to close the mouth keep the finger in the notch
Mark the middle of the notch U
Inject the local anesthesia into the skin with a small guage needle
39. Place a 22 gauge spinal needle in a 5 cc syring
Inject the needle into the original dot
And advance the needle straight in until it hits the pterygoid plate.
Inject 3-4 cc
40. Numb area
Bulk of the cheek
Upper pre auricular and auriculotemporal hair regions