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ITPB 1 vs 3 in VATS

The Chinese University of Hong Kong logo

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Musculoskeletal Diseases or Conditions

Treatments

Procedure: Three Level Intertransverse Process Block
Procedure: Single Level Intertransverse Process Block

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06838793
2025.547

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to evaluate the quality of recovery after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) by comparing the efficacy of a single-level intertransverse process block (ITPB) against a three-level ITPB, with particular attention to the quality of recovery measured by the QoR15 score at 24 hours post-surgery.

Full description

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgeries (VATS) are currently the preferred technique for treating carcinoma lung. Despite being minimally invasive, VATS is associated with significant acute and chronic postoperative pain. Regional anesthetic techniques have the potential to block afferent nociception at the peripheral nerve level, the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), the thoracic sympathetic ganglion, or through a combination of these mechanisms. While the peripheral nerve block techniques such as the intercostal nerve block and serratus anterior plane block can provide analgesia for port related somatic pain, the visceral pain mediated via the thoracic sympathetic chain during VATS procedure are amenable only to epidural or paravertebral regional anaesthetic techniques. The thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) provides ipsilateral, segmental, somatic, and sympathetic nerve blockade across multiple contiguous thoracic dermatomes and is currently the first choice for VATS. During a TPVB, the local anaesthetic (LA) is injected into the paravertebral space adjacent to the thoracic vertebra, near the intervertebral foramen.

Traditionally, TPVB is performed using either landmark or ultrasound guidance, with the LA deposited anterior to the superior costotransverse ligament (SCTL). This typically involves the block needle piercing the SCTL to reach the wedge-shaped TPVB space. While Thoracic Paravertebral Block (TPVB) is generally regarded as safe, the proximity of the needle tip to the pleura during injection poses a heightened risk of pleural puncture and pneumothorax, especially when administered by less experienced physicians. Consequently, the Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) is gaining popularity as an alternative. However, it is important to note that ESPB also has its own limitations.

Recent advancements have redefined thoracic paravertebral anatomy, identifying a fat-filled retro-SCTL space located behind the SCTL. This space is farther from the pleura but remains in close proximity to anterior neural targets such as the thoracic spinal nerve, the DRG and thoracic sympathetic ganglion. It is hypothesised that an LA injection into the retro-SCTL space-referred to as the Intertransverse Process Block (ITPB) at the medial retro SCTL space-could produce a rapid onset of ipsilateral and/or bilateral segmental somatic and sympathetic nerve blockade of the thoracic dermatomes without the need to pierce the SCTL, thereby reducing the risk of pleural puncture and pneumothorax. Preliminary investigations on the ITPB for VATS is promising, however, there is a paucity of data on the effect of the number of injections following an ultrasound-guided (USG) ITPB on the analgesic efficacy, which this study aims to evaluate.

Enrollment

80 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 80 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • ASA I-III patients
  • 18 to 80 years of age
  • Patients with primary carcinoma lung scheduled for resection under VATS procedure

Exclusion criteria

  • Patient refusal
  • Local skin infection at the area of injection
  • Coagulopathy
  • History of allergy to local anaesthetics

Trial design

Primary purpose

Treatment

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Double Blind

80 participants in 2 patient groups

Single Level Intertransverse Process Block
Active Comparator group
Description:
Patients with primary carcinoma lung scheduled for resection under VATS procedure and randomized in SL group will receive a single level ITPB at retro SCTL space injection and it will be performed at T5 vertebral level after which two subsequent IM sham injections with 2-3 ml 0.9% saline will be performed at T3 and T7 level.
Treatment:
Procedure: Single Level Intertransverse Process Block
Three Level Intertransverse Process Block
Active Comparator group
Description:
Patients with primary carcinoma lung scheduled for resection under VATS procedure and randomized in TL group will receive injection at T3, T5 and T7.
Treatment:
Procedure: Three Level Intertransverse Process Block

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Central trial contact

Ayla Wong, RN, BN; Manoj K Karmakar, MD, FRCA

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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