A Randomized Control Trial Comparing the Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block With Thoracolumbar Interfascial Plane Block for Lumbar Spine Surgeries

Background Lumbar spine surgeries often involve significant postoperative pain, necessitating effective analgesic strategies. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) and Thoracolumbar interfascial plane block (TLIPB) have emerged as promising regional anesthesia techniques for postoperative pain management. This study compares the efficacy of ultrasound-guided ESPB and TLIPB in providing analgesia following lumbar spine surgeries. Materials and methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 participants undergoing lumbar spine surgeries. Participants were randomized into ESPB and TLIPB, with 30 patients in each group using computer-generated random numbers with odd numbers allotted to Group A and even numbers allotted to Group B. Primary outcomes included postoperative visual analog pain scores, opioid consumption, and duration of analgesia. Secondary outcomes included time to block effectiveness and incidence of adverse events. Results Preliminary findings revealed that the ESPB group demonstrated significantly higher opioid consumption during the postoperative period, having Mean±SD 8.30±2.89 mg as compared to 6.43±2.85 mg found in the TLIPB group. Patient visual analog scores were higher in the ESPB group compared to the TLIPB group. Time to first analgesic request was more in the ESPB group, having Mean±SD 505.00±167.88 minutes compared to 435.33±181.01 minutes in the TLIPB group, indicating a potentially longer duration of block effectiveness. There were minimal adverse effects, which were similar in both groups. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided ESPB and TLIPB are both effective techniques for postoperative analgesia following lumbar spine surgeries. However, TLIP may offer advantages in terms of reduced opioid consumption after the patient starts complaining of pain, while ESPB provids more duration of analgesia as both the dorsal and ventral rami of spinal nerves are blocked. Further research with larger sample sizes is required to validate these findings and elucidate the optimal regional anesthesia technique for lumbar spine surgeries.