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Paracervical blockA paracervical block is an anesthetic procedure used in obstetrics and gynecology, in which a local anesthetic is injected into between two and six sites at a depth of 3–7 mm alongside the vaginal portion of the cervix in the vaginal fornices.[1] In the United States, the paracervical block is underutilized during insertion of intrauterine devices (IUDs). There is speculation that this is related to the disproportionate under-researching of women's health.[2] It is used for various obstetric and gynecologic procedures, such as hysteroscopy and vacuum aspiration. It is as efficient as intracervical block, according to a study on women undergoing vacuum aspiration with lidocaine as anesthetic agent.[3] The majority of surgical abortions in the United States are performed with a paracervical block with or without the addition of other pain medications. The best specific technique has yet to be defined and there is still a lot of procedure related pain.[4] The choice of the best anesthesia depends on patient preference and resources available.[4] In addition, a paracervical block may be permormed by a wide variety of clinications including family medicine practitionor, advanced practitionors and RN's.[5] Addition of ketorolac may offer added benefit of improved pain control.[6] References
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