Investigating the Analgesic Efficacy and Ease of Perfomance of Modified Throracoabdominal Plane Block and Comparing it With Erector Spinea Plane Block in Laparacopic Sleeve Gasterctomy Surgeries

June 16, 2026 updated by: Fadi Nessim Guirguis, Cairo University

Evaluating Analgesic Efficacy and Feasibility of Modified Thoracoabdominal Plane Block Compared With Erector Spinae Plane Block in Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Interest in surgical weight loss interventions continues to rise in the face of what has been dubbed the obesity epidemic. The most popular of these weight loss interventions is laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, which has proven to reduce morbidity and mortality of morbidly obese patients. The aim of effective perioperative pain management extends beyond increased patient comfort and includes reduced recumbency period, enhanced recovery, reduced hospital stay, and lowers postoperative complication rates.

Effective postoperative pain management has traditionally relied on multimodal strategies that combine systemic opioids, non-opioid medications, and regional anesthesia. Despite their efficacy, opioids are associated with a range of undesirable effects, such as nausea, vomiting, sedation, pruritus, and respiratory depression, which may impede early mobilization and recovery. These concerns have accelerated the adoption of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques as part of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, delivering superior pain control with fewer systemic adverse 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

Among the newer regional techniques described for thoracoabdominal analgesia are the Modified thoracoabdominal plane block through perichondrial approach (M-TAPA) block and the erector spinae plane (ESP) block. The visceral analgesic effect of ESPB appears inconsistent and may be limited by technical and anatomical factors. ESPB requires relatively deep needle placement at thoracic levels, and achieving reliable anterior spread of local anesthetic is highly operator dependent. These challenges may be exacerbated in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery, in whom ultrasound visualization and needle control can be technically demanding. Furthermore, uncertainty regarding the mechanism and extent of visceral afferent blockade, along with concerns about potential complications related to deep paraspinal injection, may limit the reproducibility and routine clinical applicability of ESPB in this population.

In contrast, the modified thoracoabdominal nerve block through the perichondrial approach (M-TAPA) is a more superficial and anatomically predictable technique designed to block thoracoabdominal nerves supplying the upper abdominal wall. Emerging evidence suggests that M-TAPA provides effective postoperative analgesia and opioid-sparing benefits in upper abdominal laparoscopic surgery, with a simpler and potentially safer technical profile compared with deeper regional techniques. Given its reduced operator dependency and technical simplicity, M-TAPA may represent an appealing alternative for patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. However, direct comparative evidence between ESPB and M-TAPA in this specific surgical context, particularly with respect to visceral pain control, remains lacking. Therefore, a randomized comparison of these two techniques is warranted.

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.
64

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 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.

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients from both sexes.
  • 18 to 60 years old.
  • ASA physical status II-III scheduled for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.
  • Patients with BMI (40-50) kg/ m2

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient Refusal
  • Lack of patient cooperation.
  • Patients with any contraindication to regional nerve blocks as coagulopathy or infection at site of injection
  • Patients with anatomical abnormalities at site of injection
  • Patients with known hypersensitivity to bupivacaine, or any of the used drugs.
  • Patients with pre-existing neurological disorder
  • Patients with chronic pain syndromes including fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), or chronic pain requiring long-term opioid or neuropathic pain medications.
  • Patients with history of long-acting opioids, steroids, anticonvulsants perioperatively.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

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.
Active Comparator: Modified thoracoabdominal plane block through perichondrial approach (M-TAPA)
The M-TAPA block will be performed after induction of general anaethesia, with total volume of 25ml of 0.25% bupivacaine.
Drug: Bupivacaine 0.25% (isobaric)
A bilateral injection of 25 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected as a part of ultrasound guided M-TAPA block.
Active Comparator: Erector Spinea plane block (ESP block)
The ESP block will be performed after induction of general anaethesia , with total volume of 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine.
Drug: Bupivaciane 0.25% (Isobaric)
A bilateral injection of 25 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected as a part of ultrasound guided ESP block.

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
Postoperative Visual Analogue Score
Time Frame: 48 hours
Measurment of postoperative Visual Analogue Score, which is a scale from 0 to 10 in which 0 indicates no pain while 10 denotes unbearable pain, this will be done after 48 hours.
48 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.
Cairo 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.
July 1, 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.
March 30, 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.
March 30, 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).
June 13, 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.
June 16, 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.
June 17, 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.
June 18, 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.
June 16, 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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • MD-79-2026

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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