Comparison of thoracolumbar interfascial plane block with local anaesthetic infiltration in lumbar spine surgeries – A prospective double-blinded randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Posterior lumbar spine fusion surgeries are associated with severe postoperative pain necessitating a multimodal analgesic regime. Wound infiltration with local anaesthetic is an accepted modality for postoperative analgesia in spine surgeries. Thoracolumbar interfascial plane (TLIP) block is a novel technique being evaluated for providing analgesia in lumbar spine surgeries. This study aimed to compare the analgesic efficacy of TLIP block compared to that of wound infiltration with local anaesthetic in terms of time to request the first dose of rescue analgesic. METHODS: Seventy-one patients scheduled for posterior lumbar spine fusion under general anaesthesia were included in this double-blinded randomised controlled trial. Preoperatively, patients were randomly allocated to receive either a TLIP block (TLIP group) or wound infiltration (LI group). The primary endpoint was the time of the first request for rescue analgesia. Secondary endpoints were the total tramadol consumption and pain and comfort scores measured at various time points in the 48-h postoperative period. The trial was terminated after second interim analysis as the analgesic benefit of TLIP was evident both clinically and statistically. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) duration of the time of the first request for rescue analgesia was 1440 (1290, 2280) min in the TLIP group and 340 (180, 360) min in the infiltration group; P value <.001. The mean tramadol consumption was significantly higher in the infiltration group compared to the TLIP group, with a P value <.001. CONCLUSION: TLIP block provided better postoperative analgesia than that provided by wound infiltration with local anaesthetic.