Abstract
We experienced a case of extra-pleural hematoma after ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) in a patient with no blood coagulation problems. An 85-year-old female developed postherpetic neuralgia and was treated with ultrasound-guided TPVB. After TPVB and a three-hour rest period, the patient was discharged; however, she returned to the clinic complaining of chest pain. A chest X-ray and contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a huge hematoma in the right hemithorax. The patient underwent an emergency removal of the hematoma and hemostasis, which might have developed following damage to the intercostal artery by the nerve-block needle. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged from the hospital on the fifth day after surgery. It is important to consider that bleeding complications can occur even during ultrasound-guided TPVB.
