Comparison of QLB and TFP Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia

May 18, 2026 updated by: Burak Omur, Medipol University

Comparison of the Effects of Ultrasound-Guided Lateral Quadratus Lumborum Block and Transversalis Fascia Plane Block on Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of ultrasound-guided lateral Quadratus Lumborum Block (QLB) and Transversalis Fascia Plane (TFP) block on postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Ninety patients will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Group QLB, Group TFP, or Group Control. The primary objective is to compare postoperative pain scores (NRS) at various time points within the first 24 hours. Secondary objectives include evaluating the need for rescue analgesia, total tramadol consumption, and the incidence of opioid-related side effects.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is a standard, minimally invasive procedure. However, moderate pain is common in the first 24 hours postoperatively, originating from somatic pain at trocar sites and visceral pain from peritoneal irritation and mesh placement. Multimodal analgesia, including fascial plane blocks, is recommended to reduce opioid consumption and improve pain control.

In this prospective, randomized, controlled, single-center trial, 90 patients (ASA I-III, aged 18-65) scheduled for elective laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair under general anesthesia will be allocated into three parallel arms (n=30 each) via computer-based randomization.

Group QLB: Will receive bilateral ultrasound-guided lateral Quadratus Lumborum Block (total 40 mL 0.25% bupivacaine) prior to extubation, along with 10 mL 0.25% bupivacaine infiltration at port sites.

Group TFP: Will receive bilateral ultrasound-guided Transversalis Fascia Plane Block (total 40 mL 0.25% bupivacaine) prior to extubation, along with 10 mL 0.25% bupivacaine infiltration at port sites.

Group Control: Will receive only port site infiltration (total 20 mL 0.25% bupivacaine).

All procedures will be performed aseptically by the same surgical and anesthesia team. Postoperatively, all patients will receive 1 g intravenous paracetamol every 8 hours. Postoperative pain will be assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) by an anesthesiologist blinded to the group allocation. Intravenous tramadol (100 mg) will be administered as rescue analgesia if the NRS score is ≥ 4. Total 24-hour tramadol consumption, along with block-related complications and opioid-related side effects (nausea, vomiting, sedation), will be recorded.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
90

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Scheduled for elective laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I, II, or III.
  • Age between 18 and 65 years.
  • Provided written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of allergy to local anesthetics.
  • Presence of coagulopathy.
  • Signs of infection at the intended block application site.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m².
  • History of chronic opioid use.
  • Presence of neurological disease.
  • Refusal to participate in the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group QLB
Patients will receive bilateral lateral Quadratus Lumborum Block (QLB) and port site infiltration at the end of the surgery.
Procedure: Lateral Quadratus Lumborum Block
Bilateral ultrasound-guided lateral QLB with 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine per side (total 40 mL). Plus, 10 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine infiltration at trocar insertion sites.
Experimental: Group TFP
Patients will receive bilateral Transversalis Fascia Plane (TFP) block and port site infiltration at the end of the surgery.
Procedure: Transversalis Fascia Plane Block
Bilateral ultrasound-guided TFP block with 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine per side (total 40 mL). Plus, 10 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine infiltration at trocar insertion sites.
Active Comparator: Group Control
Patients will receive only port site infiltration at the end of the surgery.
Procedure: Port Site Infiltration
Local infiltration of 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine at the trocar insertion sites.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) Pain Score
Time Frame: At 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours postoperatively.
Postoperative pain intensity assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). The scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates "no pain" and 10 indicates "worst imaginable pain". Higher scores represent worse pain outcomes.
At 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours postoperatively.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total Tramadol Consumption
Time Frame: During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
The cumulative dose of intravenous tramadol (in milligrams) administered as rescue analgesia.
During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
Need for Rescue Analgesia
Time Frame: During the first 24 hours postoperatively
The number of patients requiring rescue analgesia (tramadol 100 mg IV) when the NRS score is ≥ 4.
During the first 24 hours postoperatively
Incidence of Opioid-Related Side Effects
Time Frame: During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
The number of patients experiencing postoperative nausea, vomiting, or sedation.
During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
Incidence of Block-Related Complications
Time Frame: During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
The number of patients experiencing complications related to the regional block application, such as hematoma, infection, or local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST).
During the first 24 hours postoperatively.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Medipol University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 10, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 10, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 10, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 18, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 18, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 18, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • İnguinal QLB vs TFP

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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