Comparison of Postoperative Analgesic Effects of Ultrasonography-Guided Paravertebral Block and Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Nephrectomy

More than half of patients undergoing laparoscopic partial/radical nephrectomy develop moderate or severe postoperative pain. Inadequate control of postoperative pain may delay early mobilization and rehabilitation, increase pulmonary and thromboembolic events, prolong hospital stay, and decrease patient satisfaction. Inadequate postoperative pain control may lead to the development of chronic pain, resulting in long-term opioid use. In the traditional analgesia model provided with opioids, patients may develop side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hypotension, loss of consciousness, and respiratory depression. For this reason, it would be more rational to provide analgesia with regional methods, which are decided according to the suitability of the patient and the surgical procedure, rather than the use of intravenous drugs. Ultrasonography-guided plane blocks, one of the main elements of multimodal analgesia, are used more frequently with the introduction of ultrasonography into daily practice. These blocks are frequently preferred in daily practice as they reduce opioid consumption by providing effective postoperative analgesia with low complication rates and ease of application.

In the ultrasonography-guided paravertebral block, local anesthetic is injected into the triangle constituted by superior costotransvers ligament, parietal pleura and vertebral body where the spinal nerves emerge from the intervertebral foramen. Ipsilateral somatic and sympathetic nerve blockade is observed. It is a body block that can be used to provide both analgesia and anesthesia. Paravertebral block provides successful postoperative analgesia, reduces the decline in postoperative respiratory function, accelerates the recovery of respiratory mechanics, and reduces postoperative vomiting, allowing earlier initiation of oral intake.

Ultrasonography-guided subcostal transversus abdominis plane block is a relatively safe and simple body block in which local anesthetic is injected into the fascial plane located between posterior rectus sheath and transversus abdominis muscle. The transversus abdominis plane is the fascial plane superficial to the transversus abdominis muscle, the innermost muscular layer of the anterolateral abdominal wall. The subcostal transversus abdominis plane block ideally anesthetizes the intercostal nerves T6-T9 between the rectus abdominis sheath and the transversus abdominis muscle. It is a truncal block that has drawn attention recently, both because it is easier to apply and because it is a more peripheral block.

In this study the investigators aim to compare the effects of two truncal blocks on postoperative pain, morphine consumption, chronic pain and complications.