J Dent Anesth Pain Med.  2017 Sep;17(3):225-229. 10.17245/jdapm.2017.17.3.225.

Removal of a fractured needle during inferior alveolar nerve block: two case reports

• You JS
• Kim SG
• Oh JS
• Choi HI
• Jih MK

• KMID: 2390808
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17245/jdapm.2017.17.3.225

Abstract

The inferior alveolar nerve block is the most common method of local anesthesia for intraoral surgery at the posterior mandibular region. However, unexpected complications may occur when administering the local anesthesia. One of these uncommon complications is the fracture of the needle. If the injection needle is broken during the surgery, it should be removed immediately. However, this is one of the most difficult procedures. In this report, we present two cases of needle fracture during the procedure, and its successful removal under general/local anesthesia administration.

Keyword

Anesthesia, Local; Inferior Alveolar Nerve; Needle Fracture; Nerve Block

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia
Anesthesia, Local
Mandibular Nerve*
Methods
Needles*
Nerve Block

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Preoperative radiographic images showing the broken needle in (A) panoramic view, (B) computed tomography (CT) axial view, and (C) as a 3D-CT image.

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  Fig. 2 A fractured needle fragment.

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  Fig. 3 Preoperative radiographic images showing the broken needle and gutta-percha. (A) Broken dental needle in panoramic view, and a computed tomography (CT) sagittal view of the (B) gutta-percha and (C) broken dental needle.

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  Fig. 4 Postoperative panoramic radiograph showing the removal of the fractured needle.

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