The Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound Guided Transversalis Fascia Plane Block in Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection

Evaluation of Peri-operative Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound Guided Transversalis Fascia Plane Block in Cancer Patients Undergoing Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

Pain accompanying Inguinal lymph node dissection triggers a complex stress response leading to impairment of pulmonary, immunological and metabolic function. Opioids are the current gold standard drug for postoperative pain relief, however exposure to large doses lead to multiple side effects of varying significance such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, constipation, respiratory depression, hypoventilation and sleep disordered breathing. Therefore, strategies other than opioids are recommended without sacrificing proper and effective analgesia, especially in cancer patients who are more susceptible to tolerance and addiction.

Transversalis Fascia Plane Block is used in patients undergoing various surgeries like iliac crest bone harvesting, appendicectomy, cecostomy and inguinal hernia repair, often in combination with TAP block. The initial description of TFPB was with patients in the supine position, with a linear array or curvilinear probe placed between the iliac crest and the costal margin. The external oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles and the transversus aponeurosis are identified. The entry of the needle has to be in-plane, from the anterior aspect, and after traversing through the deep surface of the transversus abdominis muscle, local anesthetic is injected to separate the transversalis fascia from the transversus muscle. Studies have demonstrated that this intervention blocks the proximal branches of T12 and L1 and to a lesser extent T11 in the plane between the transversus abdominis muscle and the transversalis fascia. Since its initial description, ultrasound (US)-guided TFPB has been explored in many randomized controlled trials for patients undergoing iliac crest bone harvesting, lower segment caesarean section (LSCS), inguinal hernia repair and hip surgeries.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Inguinal Lymph Nodes Enlarged
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: transversalis fascia plane block and surgical sit local anesthetic infiltration

Detailed Description

Inguinal lymph node dissection (ILND) is the surgical removal of lymph nodes from the groin. Inguinal lymph node dissection is used to diagnose cancer spread from certain areas (usually penis, vulva, anus or the skin of the legs or torso), remove lymph nodes that may be cancerous or have a high chance of becoming cancerous, reduce the risk that cancer will recure in the future and help providers to determine the options for treatment. ( Pain accompanying ILND triggers a complex biochemical and physiological stress response leading to impairment of pulmonary, immunological and metabolic function. Opioids are the current gold standard drug for postoperative pain relief, however exposure to large doses lead to multiple side effects of varying significance such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, constipation, respiratory depression, hypoventilation and sleep disordered breathing . Therefore, strategies other than opioids are recommended without sacrificing proper and effective analgesia, especially in cancer patients who are more susceptible to tolerance and addiction.

Ultrasound imaging made the practice of regional anesthesia easier in visualization and identification of usual and unusual position of nerves, blood vessels, needle during its passage through the tissues, as well as deposition and spread of local anesthetics in the desired plane and around the desired nerve . Several abdominal wall blocks are being used by anesthesiologists to provide postoperative analgesia for surgeries involving lower abdominal incisions. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, quadratus lumborum block (QLB) and ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric block (IIIB). Transversalis fascia plane block (TFPB) was first described by Hebbard in the year 2009.

TFPB is used in patients undergoing various surgeries like iliac crest bone harvesting, appendicectomy, cecostomy and inguinal hernia repair, often in combination with TAP block. The initial description of TFPB was with patients in the supine position, with a linear array or curvilinear probe placed between the iliac crest and the costal margin. The external oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles and the transversus aponeurosis are identified. The entry of the needle has to be in-plane, from the anterior aspect, and after traversing through the deep surface of the transversus abdominis muscle, local anesthetic is injected to separate the transversalis fascia from the transversus muscle. Studies have demonstrated that this intervention blocks the proximal branches of T12 and L1 and to a lesser extent T11 in the plane between the transversus abdominis muscle and the transversalis fascia. Since its initial description, ultrasound (US)-guided TFPB has been explored in many randomized controlled trials for patients undergoing iliac crest bone harvesting, lower segment caesarean section (LSCS), inguinal hernia repair and hip surgeries.

To our knowledge, there is no randomized controlled study about it until now in cancer patients undergoing inguinal lymph node dissection, so it will be one of the earliest studies that evaluate peri-operative analgesia efficacy of ultrasound guided transversalis fascia plane block in cancer patients undergoing inguinal lymph node dissection.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ayman Sharawy Abdel Rahman Aboul Nasr, MD; Phone Number: 0020 01282649008; Email: ayman.sharawy@nci.cu.edu.eg
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Asmaa Elsayed Khalil Elmoghazy, MD; Phone Number: 0020 01009468049; Email: asmaakhalilmd2017@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Cairo, Egypt, 11796
    • Recruiting
    • National Cancer Institute Cairo University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. American society of anesthesiologists (ASA) class I and II.
2. Age ≥ 18 and ≤ 65 Years.
3. Cancer patients for inguinal lymph node dissection.
4. Body mass index (BMI): > 20 kg/m2 and < 40 kg/m2.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patient refusal.
2. Local infection at the puncture site.
3. Coagulopathies with platelets count below 50,000 or an INR>1.6.
4. Unstable cardiovascular disease.
5. History of psychiatric and cognitive disorders.
6. Patients allergic to medication used.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: ultrasound guided transversalis fascia plane block (TFPB).; Under aseptic precaution, TFPB will be performed under ultrasonographic guidance using a low-frequency convex transducer (Sonosite M turbo, USA). The patient will be placed in the lateral position. The probe will be introduced to orientation just above the iliac crest transversely; and the three abdominal muscle layers will be identified. Then the probe will be moved posteriorly to show the point at which the transversus abdominis muscle and the internal oblique muscle connected into a common fascia, which is just near the quadratus lumborum muscle. A 22-gauge 80-mm block needle will be used just to pierce the transversalis fascia. To confirm the correct needle tip placement, hydro-dissection will be performed using 2 mL of 0.9% saline following a negative check for blood aspiration to be safe from vascular puncture, then 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected. The real-time US scanning confirmed the spread of the LA in the target plane	Procedure: transversalis fascia plane block and surgical sit local anesthetic infiltration; inguinal fascial plane block and surgical site local anesthetic infiltration
Active Comparator: surgical incision site infiltration with the local anesthetics.; Patients of this group will receive local anesthetic 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine infiltration into the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues at the surgical site.	Procedure: transversalis fascia plane block and surgical sit local anesthetic infiltration; inguinal fascial plane block and surgical site local anesthetic infiltration

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain scores using Visual analogue score	Pain scores using Visual analogue score (VAS) (0 mm = no pain to 10mm = worst pain imaginable) at predetermined time intervals (0,1, 2, 4,6, 12 and 24h) postoperative.	24 hours after the surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Total intra-operative fentanyl consumption	the rescue analgesia will be administered intra-operative by fentanyl IV and the total fentanyl used will be recorded and compared between the groups	2-3 hours (Surgery time) surgery
1st time opioids requested post-operative.	In case of postoperative pain recorded, rescue analgesia will be provided as IV morphine (3 mg) then continuous infusion of morphine through Patient Controlled Analgesia ( PCA ) to keep the VAS scores<3. The total 24-hour morphine consumption will be recorded for every patient.	24 hours after the surgery
Changes and stability in Mean Arterial Blood Pressure (MAP)	Change in Mean Arterial Blood Pressure (MAP) in mmHg	every 15 minutes during the surgery then at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 hours postoperatively
Changes and stability in Heart Rate (HR)	Change in heart rate (HR) in beat\min	every 15 minutes during the surgery then at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 hours postoperatively
Total post-operative morphine consumption.	The total 24-hour morphine consumption will be recorded for every patient post operative.	24 hours after the surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Cancer Institute, Egypt
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ayman Sharawy Abdel Rahman Aboul Nasr, MD, National Cancer Institute Cairo University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 22, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 28, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 29, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 28, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 28, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 28, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ultrasound; transversalis fascia plane block; inguinal lymph node dissection
• Other Study ID Numbers: AP2510-501-130-203

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No