Paravertebral blockade is an alternative to epidural analgesia. The duration of pain relief associated with this technique may vary from 4 to 48 hours. Its effectiveness has been shown to be equal or superior to that of epidural analgesia for post-thoracotomy pain. Its popularity for pain management following thoracotomy has promoted its use after thoracoscopic procedures. Preoperative paravertebral blockade could also result in a reduction of chronic pain following surgery.