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Abstract For obese patients, it is believed that regional anesthesia has several potential advantages over general anesthesia for selective surgical procedures. Even when general anesthesia is required, the addition of a regional anesthesia technique for postoperative analgesia may decrease the requirement for supplemental systemic opioids and therefore reduce the incidence of opioid induced side-effects including respiratory depression. However, obese patients present technical challenges due to unfamiliar surface anatomy and difficulty assuming positions optimal for performance of the procedure. Surface ultrasound is emerging as a useful tool for regional anesthesia in obese patients. It can be used for pre-procedural scanning to establish needle insertion site and target location or for real-time needle guidance. Current evidence suggests that regional anesthesia can be successful and is well tolerated and has a role in the management of the obese patient. |