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J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg 2023; 84(04): 360-369
DOI: 10.1055/a-1768-3797
Original Article

Bilateral Radioscopically Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Spine Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Sofia Angeles Beltrame 
1   Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
,
Francisco Fasano
2   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital de Clinicas Jose de San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina
,
Pablo Jalón
3   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital de Clínicas, Buenos Aires, None, Argentina
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Background We compare two perioperative pain management procedures(a radioscopicallyguided erector spinae plane [ESP] block versus the standard wound infiltration technique with local anesthetics) in patients undergoing lumbosacral spine surgery.

Methods A randomized, double-blind clinical trial was performed, in which adults at our hospital undergoing lumbosacral surgery without fixation were randomly assigned to receive either the standard wound infiltration technique, employing long-term anesthetics, or a radioscopicallyguided ESP block. Postoperative pain severity, morphine consumption, number of patients immobilized due to wound pain, length of hospitalization, and complications were recorded.

Results Over the first 7 postoperative hours, pain relief was superior in the ESP block group among patients who underwent diskectomies or one-level decompression (p< 0.0001). Using an ESP block also was statistically superior at decreasing all postoperative variables recorded in patients scheduled for multilevel decompression: visual analog scale (VAS) pain severity over the first 7 hours after the procedure (p = 0.0004); number of patients with wound pain 1 (p = 0.049), 7 (p< 0.0001), and 24 hours (p = 0.007) after surgery; length of hospitalization (p = 0.0007), number of patients immobilized for wound pain (p = 0.0004) and rescue morphine consumption (p< 0.0001).

Conclusion The ESP block is a safe procedure that seems to outperform the infiltration wound technique for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing open spinal surgery. Future studies are needed to verify its effectiveness for arthrodesis/fixation and minimallyinvasive procedures, and for chronic spine pain relief.

Keywords

erector muscles - spinal surgery - postoperative analgesia - nerve block


Publication History

Received: 04 August 2021

Accepted: 07 February 2022

Accepted Manuscript online:
10 February 2022

Article published online:
28 July 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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