Bilateral ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia in paediatric idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spine fusion surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Major spinal surgery causes severe pain. We examined the ability of erector spinae plane block (ESPB) to alleviate pain after posterior spinal fusion (PSF) in paediatric scoliosis patients.

Methods: Seventy-two patients who underwent PSF were randomized into a preoperative ultrasound-guided ESPB group or a no-block control group. The composite primary outcome was the area under the curve (AUC) of the numerical rating scale (NRS) score in the first 24 h after surgery and the number of parent-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) boluses administered 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes included the NRS score, opioid consumption, rescue analgesia, adverse events, and quality of recovery.

Results: The AUC-NRS at rest was 62 (13) in the ESPB group and 89 (13) in the control group (P < 0.001). There were 15 (5) 24-h PCIA boluses administered in the ESPB group and 30 (7) in the control group (P < 0.001). Compared with those in the control group, the NRS scores at rest were lower in the ESPB group at 0, 3, 6, and 9 h postoperatively, and the NRS scores during movement were lower in the ESPB group at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 h postoperatively. The ESPB group showed a lower need for PCIA than did the control group at 0-6, 6-12, 12-18 and 1-24 h postoperatively. In the ESPB group, fewer patients required rescue analgesics, and patients exhibited a higher quality of recovery.

Conclusion: Preoperative ESPB improves postoperative analgesia in paediatric scoliosis patients who underwent PSF.

Trial registration number: ChiCTR2300074505.

Date of registration: August 8, 2023.