Erector Spinae Plane Block vs Quadro-Iliac Plane Block After Lumbar Instrumentation Surgery

March 26, 2026 updated by: Merih Yıldız Eglen, Bursa City Hospital

Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block and Quadro-Iliac Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia Management Following Lumbar Instrumentation Surgery

Lumbar instrumentation surgery is associated with significant postoperative pain. This study compares the postoperative analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided Erector Spinae Plane Block and Quadro-Iliac Plane Block in patients undergoing lumbar instrumentation surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Lumbar instrumentation surgery is frequently associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain, which may negatively affect patient comfort, delay mobilization, and increase opioid consumption. Effective postoperative analgesia is therefore essential for improving recovery and reducing opioid-related adverse effects. Regional anesthesia techniques have become an important component of multimodal analgesia strategies in lumbar spine surgery.

The Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) is a well-established ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia technique that has been shown to provide postoperative analgesia in various spinal procedures. The Quadro-Iliac Plane Block (QIPB) is a newly developed ultrasound-guided block targeting the fascial plane between the erector spinae muscle and the quadratus lumborum muscle at the level of the iliac crest, with the potential to provide effective analgesia for lumbar spine surgeries. However, comparative clinical data regarding the analgesic effectiveness of these two techniques in lumbar instrumentation surgery are limited.

This study is designed to compare the postoperative analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided ESPB and QIPB in patients undergoing elective lumbar instrumentation surgery under general anesthesia. Both blocks will be performed using ultrasound guidance as part of a standardized multimodal analgesia protocol.

The findings of this study aim to clarify the relative effectiveness of ESPB and QIPB for postoperative pain control following lumbar instrumentation surgery and to contribute to evidence-based selection of regional analgesia techniques in lumbar spine procedures.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

Phase

  • 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 Backup

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 65 years
  • Classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-III
  • Scheduled for elective lumbar instrumentation surgery under general anesthesia
  • Provision of written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of anticoagulant medications or presence of bleeding diathesis
  • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to local anesthetics or opioid drugs
  • Infection at the planned block site
  • Alcohol or drug dependence
  • Cognitive impairment preventing reliable pain assessment
  • Pregnancy or lactation
  • History of previous lumbar spine surgery
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Renal or hepatic insufficiency

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
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB)
Participants in this arm will receive an ultrasound-guided Erector Spinae Plane Block at the end of surgery, before extubation, with the patient in the prone position under standard sterilization conditions. The block will be performed bilaterally as part of a standardized multimodal postoperative analgesia protocol following lumbar instrumentation surgery.
Procedure: Erector Spinae Plane Block
An ultrasound-guided Erector Spinae Plane Block will be performed at the end of surgery, before extubation, with the patient in the prone position under standard sterilization conditions. The ultrasound probe will be placed in the parasagittal plane at the level corresponding to the surgical site to visualize the transverse process and erector spinae muscle. Following confirmation of correct needle placement with 2 mL of normal saline, 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected into the fascial plane deep to the erector spinae muscle. The block will be performed bilaterally, with a total volume of 40 mL, as part of a standardized multimodal postoperative analgesia protocol.
Active Comparator: Quadro-Iliac Plane Block (QIPB)
Participants in this arm will receive an ultrasound-guided Quadro-Iliac Plane Block at the end of surgery, before extubation, with the patient in the prone position under standard sterilization conditions. The block will be performed bilaterally as part of a standardized multimodal postoperative analgesia protocol following lumbar instrumentation surgery.
Procedure: Quadro-Iliac Plane Block
An ultrasound-guided Quadro-Iliac Plane Block will be performed at the end of surgery, before extubation, with the patient in the prone position under standard sterilization conditions. A convex ultrasound probe will be placed at the level where the quadratus lumborum muscle attaches to the iliac crest to visualize the erector spinae muscle and the underlying quadratus lumborum muscle. The block location will be confirmed with the injection of 2 mL of isotonic solution, followed by the injection of 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine. The spread of the local anesthetic between the erector spinae muscle and quadratus lumborum muscle will be observed under ultrasound guidance. The block will be performed bilaterally, with a total volume of 40 mL, as part of a standardized multimodal postoperative analgesia protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative 48-Hour PCA Opioid Consumption
Time Frame: Postoperative 0-8, 8-16, 16-24, 24-48 intervals
Total amount of opioid delivered by the patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device during the first 48 hours after surgery, recorded in milligrams (mg).
Postoperative 0-8, 8-16, 16-24, 24-48 intervals

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
QoR-15 Recovery Score
Time Frame: Postoperative 24th and 48th hours

The investigators will use the Turkish version of Quality of Recovery (QoR) / QoR-15 questionairre

PART A How have you been feeling in the last 24 hours? (0 to 10, where: 0 = none of the time [poor] and 10 = all of the time [excellent])

Able to breathe easily Been able to enjoy food Feeling rested Have had a good sleep Able to look after personal toilet and hygiene unaided Able to communicate with Getting support from hospital doctors and nurses Able to return to work or usual home activities Feeling comfortable and in control Having a feeling of general well-being

PART B Have you had any of the following in the last 24 hours? (10 to 0, where: 10 = none of the time [excellent] and 0 = all of the time [poor]) Moderate pain Severe pain Nausea or vomiting Feeling worried or anxious Feeling sad or depressed
Postoperative 24th and 48th hours
Dynamic and static Numeric Rating Scale scores
Time Frame: 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively]
Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) (0-10; 0= no pain, 10= the most severe pain felt ) pain scores at rest or movement at predefined postoperative hours
0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively]
Total rescue analgesic dose
Time Frame: Postoperative 24th and 48th hours

Despite the use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), if the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score is ≥4 at any time point, 0.5 mg/kg intravenous meperidine will be administered as rescue analgesia.

Total amount of meperidin during the first 24 and 48 hours after surgery, recorded in milligrams (mg).
Postoperative 24th and 48th hours
Time of first request for rescue analgesia
Time Frame: Postoperative 48 hours
Despite the use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), if the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score is ≥4 at any time point, 0.5 mg/kg intravenous meperidine will be administered as rescue analgesia.
Postoperative 48 hours
Length of Hospital Stay
Time Frame: The time from the end of the surgery to discharge from the hospital(day)
Length of hospital stay will be defined as the number of days from the end of surgery to hospital discharge.
The time from the end of the surgery to discharge from the hospital(day)
Block and Opioid-Related Adverse Effects and Complications
Time Frame: Postoperative 48 hours
Block- and opioid-related adverse effects and complications, including but not limited to local anesthetic toxicity, hematoma, infection, nerve injury, nausea, vomiting, pruritus, sedation, and respiratory depression, will be recorded
Postoperative 48 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Bursa City 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)

January 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 31, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 31, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 26, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BursaCity Hos 2

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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