A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing The Analgesic Effectiveness Of Sacral Erector Spinae Plane Block And Penile Block In Children Undergoing Circumcision Surgery

Circumcision is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in childhood and is associated with significant postoperative pain. Inadequate analgesia in pediatric patients may lead to adverse hemodynamic, hormonal, metabolic, and immunological responses, as well as increased agitation and discomfort. Therefore, a multimodal analgesia (MMA) approach is recommended to prevent the onset of pain and provide effective perioperative analgesia. Regional anesthesia (RA) techniques offer safe, effective, and hemodynamically stable analgesia in pediatric patients. Penile nerve block (PNB) is a commonly used RA technique for circumcision, performed by subcutaneous infiltration of local anesthetic around the glans penis and penoscrotal junction. More recently, the sacral erector spinae plane block (sacral ESPB) has been introduced as an alternative RA method, providing wide analgesic coverage by affecting the pudendal nerve and its branches. Sacral ESPB has been successfully applied in pediatric urogenital and anorectal surgeries, demonstrating effective postoperative analgesia.

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to compare the analgesic effectiveness of sacral ESPB and PNB in children aged 1-12 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-II undergoing circumcision surgery. Participants will be randomly allocated using a closed-envelope method to one of two groups. The PNB group will receive 0.5 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine via circumferential subcutaneous injection along the penoscrotal line. The sacral ESPB group will receive 0.5 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine under ultrasound (USG) guidance using an in-plane, cranio-caudal technique. All procedures will be performed by pediatric anesthesia faculty experienced in RA. Premedication will include intravenous (IV) midazolam 0.05 mg/kg and ketamine 0.5 mg/kg. General anesthesia (GA) will be induced with IV propofol 2-3 mg/kg, fentanyl 1 µg/kg, and rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg, followed by endotracheal intubation and maintenance with sevoflurane 1 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC). Intraoperative monitoring will include electrocardiography (ECG), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂), and non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP). Hemodynamic changes exceeding 20% from baseline will be treated with remifentanil infusion.

Blinding (Körleme): This study will be conducted using a double-blind design. The patients and the investigators responsible for postoperative pain assessment and data collection will be unaware of group allocation. Only the anesthesiologists performing the blocks will know which intervention (PNB or sacral ESPB) is administered to ensure patient safety. This approach minimizes bias and ensures objective evaluation of outcomes.

Postoperative pain will be assessed using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale, which ranges from 0 to 10 points. A higher FLACC score indicates more severe pain, while a lower score indicates less pain. Analgesic administration will follow a standardized protocol: FLACC ≤3 indicates sufficient analgesia; FLACC 4-6 will be treated with IV paracetamol 10 mg/kg; FLACC ≥7 will be treated with IV fentanyl 0.5 µg/kg in the recovery unit. On the ward, oral paracetamol 10 mg/kg or ibuprofen 10 mg/kg will be administered according to FLACC scores. Phone follow-up at 16 and 24 hours will monitor pain scores and rescue analgesic consumption.

The primary outcome is postoperative pain within the first 24 hours as measured by FLACC scores. Secondary outcomes include intraoperative analgesic consumption, time to first postoperative analgesic requirement, perioperative hemodynamic changes, time to first urination, parental satisfaction, and postoperative adverse events such as nausea, vomiting, or block-related complications.