Quadratus Lumborum Block vs Modified-Thoracolumbar Interfascial Plane Block for Pain Management After Lumbar Spinal Surgery

Spine surgery in thoracolumbar region is one of the most common surgeries performed for the treatment of leg and back pain. Pain management is especially important for these patients since chronic pain often occurs after surgery. Severe pain may occur at postoperative period in patients following lumbar disc herniation (LDH) operation. Postoperative effective pain treatment provides early mobilization and shorter hospital stay, thus complications due to hospitalization such as infection and thromboembolism may be reduced.

Opioids are one of the most preferred drugs among the analgesic agents. Parenteral opioids are generally performed for patients after surgery. However opioids have undesirable adverse events such as nausea, vomiting, itching, sedation and respiratory depression (opioid-related adverse events).

Various methods may be performed to reduce the use of systemic opioids and for effective pain treatment. US-guided interfascial plane blocks have been used increasily due to the advantages of ultrasound in anesthesia practice. Ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block (QLB) is a fascial plane block where local anesthetic is injected adjacent to the quadratus lumborum muscle with the goal of anesthetizing the thoracolumbar nerves.

In TLIP block, local anesthetic solution is injected between the multifidus and logissimus muscles nearly at the level of the 3rd lumbar vertebra and targets the dorsal rami of the thoracolumbar nerves. Ahiskalioglu et al. defined modified-lateral technique of TLIP (mTLIP) block as a new approach. Ahiskalioglu et al. have reported that this approach has some advantages. Firstly, sonographic visualisation is more easily than the classical technique. Secondly, insertion of the needle from medial to lateral direction reduces the risk of possible neuraxial injection. It has been reported that this technique provides effective analgesia after lumbar spinal surgery.

The aim of this study is to compare US-guided mTLIP block and QLB for postoperative analgesia management after lumbar disc herniation-laminectomy surgery.