Nerve blocks in chronic pain therapy - are there any indications left?

Although diagnostic imaging is now highly developed, neural blockade provid es another opportunity to test for a source of pain that may frequently lea ve no signature. Likewise, many neuropathic pains can not be tested by neur odiagnostic methods. This paper makes a case for the continued use of regio nal anesthesia to assist in the diagnosis and therapy of chronic pain. In p articular, the example of autonomic blocks and blocks of the axial spine ar e emphasized. Nerve blocks require an understanding of the anatomy, physiol ogy, pharmacology, and the ability to interpret critically their results.