Regional Blocks for Lumbar Disc Surgery Analgesia

Comparison of Paravertebral, Thoracolumbar Interfascial Plane, and Retrolaminar Blocks for Postoperative Analgesia in Lumbar Disc Herniation Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective The goal of this prospective randomized controlled experiment was comparing the analgesic efficacy, opioid needs, and adverse effect profiles of Paravertebral Block (PVB), Thoracolumbar Interfascial Plane Block (TLIP), and Retrolaminar Block (RLB) in patients undergoing lumbar disc herniation surgery.

Methods 180 adults (ASA I-III) undergoing elective lumbar disc herniation surgery made up this single-center study. Among the exclusion criteria were coagulation problems, injection site infection, allergy to local anesthetics, and incapacity to provide informed consent. Patients were randomly assigned into four groups: Control (systemic analgesia only), PVB, TLIP, and RLB (45 patients per group). An expert anesthesiologist supervised the ultrasonography during each block. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to measure postoperative pain at 0, 1, 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. This was the primary outcome. Motor block incidence, rescue morphine consumption, and Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) scores at 24 hours were secondary objectives. Unfavorable incidents were noted. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests (p<0.05) were used to examine the data.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Analgesia
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Regional Analgesia

Detailed Description

With an annual frequency of 10% to 15% among healthy adults, low back pain is a significant global public health concern. For low back pain, the typical visual analog scale (VAS) score is approximately 4, indicating moderate pain severity (1). A common cause of back and leg pain is intervertebral disc herniation, which causes throbbing anguish in the lower extremities along with radicular pain. Lumbar disc surgery is a common procedure for people with moderate to severe back pain and radicular symptoms. Surgery may be necessary for people with chronic symptoms, neurological deficits, or inadequate pain relief with conservative treatment, even though acute intervertebral disc herniation often resolves on its own without surgery.

After lumbar disc herniation surgery, postoperative pain management is still crucial since inadequate pain management can lead to prolonged hospital stays, slower recovery, and a poorer quality of life. Numerous strategies have been used to manage postoperative pain, such as regional anesthetic procedures, epidural steroid injections, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and even unconventional methods like electroacupuncture. Due of their capacity to provide targeted pain relief while minimizing systemic effects, regional anesthetic procedures have become increasingly popular among these.

In lumbar surgery, the paravertebral block (PVB) is a common regional anesthetic technique. A local anesthetic is injected close to the spinal nerves, and it typically relieves pain over four dermatomes (two above and two below the injection site). Patients with spinal anomalies or those for whom neuraxial anesthesia is contraindicated have been shown to benefit greatly from PVB. Additionally, it differs from other peripheral nerve blocks in its ability to reduce visceral and somatic pain. However, PVB requires technical know-how and might have negative effects like vascular injury and pneumothorax, particularly when performed by unskilled professionals.

PVB is being replaced by more recent truncal block methods such retrolaminar blocks (RLB) and the thoracolumbar interfascial plane (TLIP). For effective analgesia during lumbar spine surgery, the TLIP block targets the thoracolumbar fascia. According to recent studies, the TLIP block can enhance recovery quality, decrease postoperative pain levels, and lessen the need for rescue medications. In a similar vein, the RLB, which involves administering a local anesthetic into the retrolaminar area, has been associated with shorter recovery periods, reduced postoperative pain scores, and decreased narcotic usage. Compared to PVB, these contemporary techniques are less invasive, simpler to do under ultrasound guidance, and possibly less problematic.

Comparative research is required to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and viability of TLIP and RLB in the setting of lumbar disc herniation surgery, given their increasing popularity as PVB substitutes. Previous research has primarily focused on the individual efficacy of these methods; however, head-to-head comparisons remain limited. The aim of this study is to investigate at the analgesic efficacy, sensory coverage, and side effect profiles of PVB, TLIP, and RLB in patients having lumbar disc herniation surgery. By doing so, we intend to determine if TLIP and RLB are viable alternatives to PVB, particularly in terms of side effects and patient recovery.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 180
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Merkez
    • Erzincan, Merkez, Turkey, 24000
      • Erzincan University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 and 65 who were having elective lumbar disc herniation surgery and had ASA I-III ratings made up the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• The study excluded patients having a history of opioid dependency, coagulation issues, difficult behavior, pharmaceutical allergies, prior spinal surgery, or unwillingness to participate in the experiment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control Group; All patients received routine intravenous analgesia with 1 g paracetamol and 1 mg/kg tramadol hydrochloride every 12 hours during postoperative ward follow-ups.
Active Comparator: Paravertebral Block Group; All patients received regional analgesia and routine intravenous analgesia with 1 g paracetamol and 1 mg/kg tramadol hydrochloride every 12 hours during postoperative ward follow-ups.	Procedure: Regional Analgesia; 20 cc of local anesthetic solution, comprising 10 cc of 0.5% bupivacaine and 10 cc of 0.9% NaCl bilaterally, was injected into each side once
Experimental: Thoracolumbar Interfascial Plane Block Group; All patients received regional analgesia and routine intravenous analgesia with 1 g paracetamol and 1 mg/kg tramadol hydrochloride every 12 hours during postoperative ward follow-ups.	Procedure: Regional Analgesia; 20 cc of local anesthetic solution, comprising 10 cc of 0.5% bupivacaine and 10 cc of 0.9% NaCl bilaterally, was injected into each side once
Experimental: Retrolaminar Block Group; All patients received regional analgesia and routine intravenous analgesia with 1 g paracetamol and 1 mg/kg tramadol hydrochloride every 12 hours during postoperative ward follow-ups.	Procedure: Regional Analgesia; 20 cc of local anesthetic solution, comprising 10 cc of 0.5% bupivacaine and 10 cc of 0.9% NaCl bilaterally, was injected into each side once

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Analogue Scale	The pain is scaled with Visual Analogue Scale score in 4 groups	0 hour, 1 hour, 2 hour, 6 hour, 12 hour, 24 hour after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Erzincan University
• Investigators: Study Director: Hakan Gökalp Taş, Erzincan Binali Yildirim Universitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 26, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 10, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 18, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 10, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Postoperative Pain; Nerve Block; Lumbar Vertebrae; Analgesics, Opioid; Interfascial Plane Blocks
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Perceptual Disorders; Agnosia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024-07/06

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No