Study objective:

Spinal fusion surgery is associated with severe postoperative pain. We examined whether bilateral ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block could alleviate postoperative pain in patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion.

Design:

Blinded, randomized, controlled study.

Setting:

Tertiary university hospital, operating room, postoperative recovery room and ward.

Patients:

Sixty patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I or II scheduled for lumbar spinal fusion surgery were randomized into the erector spinae plane block group (ESPB group) and the control group in a 1:1 ratio.

Interventions:

Pre-operative ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block was performed in the ESPB group, while sham subcutaneous infiltration was performed in the control group.

Measurements:

The primary outcome was pain intensity at rest within 12 h postoperatively using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary outcomes included NRS pain scores at rest and on movement, postoperative opioid consumption and proportions of patients requiring opioid during the first 48 h after surgery.

Main results:

The ESPB group (n = 30) showed significantly lower pain scores at rest at 4 h after surgery (estimated mean difference – 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.4 to -0.8, p < 0.001), at 8 h (-1.3, 95% CI -1.9 to -0.6, p < 0.001), and at 12 h (-0.7, 95% CI -1.3 to -0.1, p = 0.023). The two groups showed similar pain scores at rest at 24 h after surgery (estimated mean difference - 0.2, 95% CI -0.8 to 0.5) and 48 h (-0.3, 95% CI -0.8 to 0.2). The ESPB group also showed significantly lower pain score on movement at 4 h after surgery (-1.5, 95% CI -2.5 to -0.6). The ESPB group showed a significantly smaller proportion of patients requiring sufentanil within 12 h after surgery (p = 0.020), and the group consumed significantly less sufentanil during that period (p = 0.042).

Conclusions:

Bilateral ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block improves postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion.