RIPB Versus EOIPB for Pain Control After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (RIPB-EOIPB)

May 20, 2026 updated by: Sehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Sancaktepe Training and Research Hospital

Comparison of the Effects of Recto-Intercostal Plane Block and External Oblique Intercostal Plane Block on Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Elective Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

This prospective observational study aims to compare the effects of bilateral ultrasound-guided recto-intercostal plane block(RIPB) and bilateral ultrasound-guided external oblique intercostal plane block(EOIPB) on postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia.

Both blocks are performed after anesthesia induction as part of routine preemptive multimodal analgesia practice. Patients who receive bilateral recto-intercostal plane block will be included in the RIPB group, and patients who receive bilateral external oblique intercostal plane block will be included in the EOIPB group.

The primary outcome is cumulative intravenous tramadol consumption via patient-controlled analgesia during the first 24 postoperative hours. Secondary outcomes include postoperative pain scores at rest and during activity, rescue analgesic requirement, postoperative nausea and vomiting, time to mobilization, length of hospital stay, quality of recovery assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire, and block-related complications.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
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 cholecystectomy is one of the most commonly performed minimally invasive abdominal surgical procedures. Although it is associated with less postoperative pain and faster recovery compared with open surgery, postoperative pain may still occur due to trocar insertion, abdominal wall trauma, pneumoperitoneum-related peritoneal irritation, and visceral manipulation. Inadequate analgesia may delay mobilization, increase analgesic consumption, contribute to postoperative nausea and vomiting, and negatively affect postoperative recovery.

Ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks are increasingly used as part of multimodal analgesia strategies for abdominal surgery. These techniques may reduce postoperative analgesic requirements by targeting the thoracoabdominal nerve branches that supply the abdominal wall. The recto-intercostal plane block and the external oblique intercostal plane block are two ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks that may provide analgesia for the upper abdominal wall through different anatomical planes.

This study is designed as a prospective observational study in patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia. Patients will be included according to the regional analgesia technique performed as part of routine clinical practice. Patients receiving bilateral recto-intercostal plane block will form the RIPB group, while patients receiving bilateral external oblique intercostal plane block will form the EOIPB group. Both blocks will be performed after anesthesia induction as part of a preemptive analgesia approach.

All patients will receive standardized general anesthesia and routine postoperative multimodal analgesia. Intravenous tramadol will be administered postoperatively using a patient-controlled analgesia device. Postoperative pain intensity will be evaluated using the Numeric Rating Scale at predetermined time points during the first 24 hours. Total tramadol consumption, rescue analgesic requirement, postoperative nausea and vomiting, quality of recovery, mobilization time, length of hospital stay, and possible block-related complications will be recorded.

The study aims to determine whether recto-intercostal plane block provides superior postoperative analgesia compared with external oblique intercostal plane block in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

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.
Observational

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.
60

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Istanbul
      • Sancaktepe, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34000
        • Recruiting
        • Sancaktepe Sehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Training and Research Hospital
        • Contact:

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

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients aged 18-75 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III who are scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia and who provide written informed consent will be included.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 75 years
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
  • Scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia
  • Written informed consent obtained

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Refusal to participate
  • Inability to understand the study protocol or provide informed consent
  • Known allergy to local anesthetics, tramadol, paracetamol, dexketoprofen, or other study drugs
  • Chronic opioid or steroid use
  • Psychiatric or cognitive disorder preventing reliable pain assessment
  • Inability to use patient-controlled analgesia
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Coagulopathy
  • Infection at the block site
  • Difficult or prolonged intubation requiring three or more attempts
  • Conversion to open surgery
  • Surgery lasting longer than 120 minutes
  • Intraoperative or postoperative complications requiring deviation from the standard analgesia protocol

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
RIPB Group
Patients who received bilateral ultrasound-guided recto-intercostal plane block after anesthesia induction as part of routine preemptive analgesia for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Procedure: Bilateral Ultrasound-Guided Recto-Intercostal Plane Block
Bilateral recto-intercostal plane block was performed under ultrasound guidance after anesthesia induction. Local anesthetic was injected into the fascial plane between the rectus abdominis muscle and the intercostal structures as part of routine preemptive analgesia.
EOIPB Group
Patients who received bilateral ultrasound-guided external oblique intercostal plane block after anesthesia induction as part of routine preemptive analgesia for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Procedure: Bilateral Ultrasound-Guided External Oblique Intercostal Plane Block
Bilateral external oblique intercostal plane block was performed under ultrasound guidance after anesthesia induction. Local anesthetic was injected into the fascial plane between the external oblique muscle and the intercostal muscles as part of routine preemptive analgesia.

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
Cumulative Postoperative Tramadol Consumption
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours
Total intravenous tramadol consumption delivered via patient-controlled analgesia during the first 24 hours after surgery.
Postoperative 24 hours

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
Postoperative Pain Scores at Rest
Time Frame: Postoperative 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours
Pain intensity at rest assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale, ranging from 0 indicating no pain to 10 indicating the worst imaginable pain.
Postoperative 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours
Postoperative Pain Scores During Activity
Time Frame: Postoperative 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours
Pain intensity during activity assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale, ranging from 0 indicating no pain to 10 indicating the worst imaginable pain.
Postoperative 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours
Quality of Recovery
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours
Quality of recovery assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire.Quality of recovery will be assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire. The Quality of Recovery-15 is a 15-item patient-reported outcome measure with a total score ranging from 0 to 150, where higher scores indicate better postoperative recovery.
Postoperative 24 hours
Rescue Analgesic Requirement
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours
Number of patients requiring additional rescue analgesia due to Numeric Rating Scale score of 4 or higher.
Postoperative 24 hours
Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours
Incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours after surgery.
Postoperative 24 hours
Time to Mobilization
Time Frame: From the end of surgery until first postoperative mobilization, assessed up to 48 hours postoperatively.
Time from the end of surgery to first postoperative mobilization.
From the end of surgery until first postoperative mobilization, assessed up to 48 hours postoperatively.
Length of Hospital Stay
Time Frame: From the date of surgery through the date of hospital discharge, assessed up to 30 days postoperatively.
Duration of postoperative hospital stay until discharge.
From the date of surgery through the date of hospital discharge, assessed up to 30 days postoperatively.
Block-Related Complications
Time Frame: Postoperative 24 hours
Incidence of complications related to the regional block procedure, including pneumothorax and local anesthetic systemic toxicity.
Postoperative 24 hours

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.
Sehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Sancaktepe Training and Research Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 (Actual)

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.
April 25, 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.
July 22, 2026

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.
October 25, 2026

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 15, 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 20, 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 26, 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 26, 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 20, 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.
  • RIPB-EOIPB-LC-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared due to institutional data privacy policies and participant confidentiality.

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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