Posterior quadratus lumborum block or lumbar erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia management after lumbar spinal surgery: a randomized controlled trial.
Cetinkal Ahmet A, Topgül Tamara Buruk TB, Fidan Uğur U, Özbek Muhammet Arif MA et al.
Postoperative pain after lumbar microdiscectomy (MD) can be significant. While both the lumbar erector spinae plane block (L-ESPB) and the posterior quadratus lumborum block (P-QLB) are used for analgesia, they have not been directly compared. We hypothesized that L-ESPB and P-QLB would provide different levels of analgesia after MD. This single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial included 60 adult patients (ASA I-II) undergoing unilateral single-level lumbar MD. Patients were randomized to receive a bilateral, postoperative L-ESPB (n = 30) or P-QLB (n = 30) with 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine per side. The primary outcome was the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain score at 2 h postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included NRS pain scores over 24 h, rescue analgesia requirements, and adverse events. Patients in the L-ESPB group had statistically lower static and dynamic NRS pain scores at all measured time points (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 h) compared to the P-QLB group (p = 0.001). The number of patients requiring rescue analgesia was lower in the L-ESPB group (1 vs. 9 patients, p = 0.012), and the total tramadol consumption was also lower (p = 0.005). The incidence of nausea and itching was significantly lower in the L-ESPB group. One patient in the L-ESPB group experienced a temporary motor block. In patients undergoing lumbar MD, L-ESPB provided superior analgesia and resulted in lower opioid consumption and fewer opioid-related side effects compared to P-QLB over the first 24 postoperative hours.