A Posterior TAP Block Provides More Effective Analgesia Than a Lateral TAP Block in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Gynecologic Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Background. There are a few papers that compared the lateral transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block with the posterior TAP block. Our study aimed to compare retrospectively the quality of analgesia after laparoscopic gynecologic surgery using the lateral TAP block with general anesthesia versus the posterior TAP block with general anesthesia. Method. Sixty-seven adult female patients were included in this retrospective study. Of these patients, thirty-four patients received the lateral TAP block with general anesthesia (lat. TAP group), and the rest of thirty-three patients received the posterior TAP block with general anesthesia (pos. TAP group). Pain scores both at rest and at movement and the use of additional analgesic drugs were recorded in the postoperative care unit within twenty-four hours after the operation. Postoperative complications were noted. Results. Patients who received pos. TAP reported lower visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores in all points, within twenty-four hours after the operation, than patients who received lat. TAP. Moreover, with the use of additional analgesic drugs, the incidence of nausea and vomiting during the first twenty-four hours after surgery was lower in the pos. TAP group than in the lat. TAP group. Conclusion. The posterior TAP block provided more effective analgesia than the lateral TAP block in patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery.