Ultrasound-Guided Modified Pectoral Plane (PECS II) Block Versus Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) for Postoperative Analgesia of Modified Radical Mastectomy

During MRM , some of the nerves in the chest are affected so most women have some level of pain in the days after the procedure. Severe acute postoperative pain following breast surgery is an independent risk factor in the development of chronic post-mastectomy pain , not only increasing the risk of persistent agony and prolongs hospitalization, it also affects recovery and increases healthcare costs .

Multimodal techniques for pain management have been recommended by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) for the management of acute postoperative pain . These techniques include oral analgesics as opioids, paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) , intravenous (IV) and regional analgesia. Inappropriate postoperative analgesia may increase morbidity and mortality .

PECS-II block is an interfascial plane block in which local anesthetic is injected between serratus anterior and pectoralis muscles that blocks the pectoral nerve as well as the long thoracic, intercostobrachial and lateral cutaneous branches of the inter-costal III, IV, V, and VI nerves. PECS-II is a less invasive and easier to be performed alternative to thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB). This block, defined by Blanco et al., provides safe and adequate post-operative analgesia in the anterior chest wall after breast surgery. The most common complications are pneumothorax, vascular puncture, infection, local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST), allergy and failed block .

ESPB is a paraspinal fascial plane block in which local anesthetic is injected between the tip of the transverse process of the spine and the anterior fascia of the erector spinae muscles blocking the dorsal and ventral rami of the spinal nerves, as well as the sympathetic chain, resulting in analgesia of chronic thoracic neuropathic pain, breast and upper abdominal surgeries. The block, defined by Forero et al., can cover several spinal nerve levels above and below the injection site as the local anesthetic spreads along the fascial plane, depending on the volume and concentration of the local anesthetic . The main advantages of this technique include the ease of performing it, the analgesic efficacy and the low risk of complications as Pneumothorax, hemi-diaphragmatic paralysis, motor weakness, and neurological findings related to local anesthesia toxicity .