Editing Local anesthesia (section)

{{short description|Technique to induce the absence of sensation in a specific part of the body}}
{{Infobox medical intervention
 | Name        = Local anesthesia
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 | MeshID      = D000772
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'''Local anesthesia''' is any technique to induce the absence of [[sense|sensation]] in a specific part of the body,<ref>[http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/local+anesthesia thefreedictionary.com > local anesthesia] In turn citing: Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. Copyright 2009</ref> generally for the aim of inducing '''local analgesia''', i.e. local insensitivity to [[pain]], although other local senses may be affected as well. It allows patients to undergo surgical and [[dentistry|dental]] procedures with reduced pain and distress. In many situations, such as [[caesarean section|cesarean section]], it is safer and therefore superior to [[general anesthesia]].<ref name=anest>{{cite journal |author1=Sukhminder Jit Singh Bajwa |author2=Ashish Kulshrestha |title=Anaesthesia for laparoscopic surgery: General vs regional anaesthesia |date=2016 |journal=J Minim Access Surg |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=4–9 |doi=10.4103/0972-9941.169952 |pmid=26917912|pmc=4746973 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The following terms are often used interchangeably:
* ''Local anesthesia'', in a strict sense, is [[anesthesia]] of a small part of the body such as a tooth or an area of skin.
* ''Regional anesthesia'' is aimed at anesthetizing a larger part of the body such as a leg or arm.
* ''Conduction anesthesia'' encompasses a great variety of local and regional anesthetic techniques.