Is the thoracic paravertebral block superior to thoracic epidural analgesia?
TEA has been traditionally regarded as the “gold standard.” A growing body of evidence supports that thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) is at least comparable to TEA for postoperative analgesia in thoracic and abdominal surgeries with a superior side effect profile, avoiding epidural hematoma and abscess, injury to neuroaxis, postdural puncture headache, and intrathecal injection. It decreases the rate of pulmonary complications, incidences of hypotension, urinary retention, and block failure. Application of continuous TPVB needs special training, while the TEA has been the gold standard and part of training curricula for decades.