Lacrimal fossa block: an audit of a minimally invasive regional anaesthetic technique for endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR)

The lacrimal fossa block (LFB), a new development to provide regional anaes thesia for endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, is reported. Cadaveric study s howed that the block needle, inserted as described, made direct contact wit h the periosteum of the frontal process of the maxilla within the lacrimal fossa. This technique enables both relevant divisions of the trigeminal ner ve to be anaesthetized through a single entry site and, as this injection i s confined to the anterior part of the orbit. ocular complications are mini mized. An audit of 66 patients has shown that this technique, combined with standard intranasal local anaesthesia, provides good intraoperative analge sia, causes minimal diplopia and has a high level of patient acceptability.