Does bilateral superficial cervical plexus block decrease analgesic requirement after thyroid surgery?

Anesth Analg. 2006 Apr;102(4):1174-6. doi: 10.1213/01.ane.0000202383.51830.c4.

Abstract

In this randomized, double-blind and controlled study we evaluated and compared the analgesic efficacy of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block and local anesthetic wound infiltration after thyroid surgery. Forty-five patients were assigned to 3 groups. After general anesthesia induction, bilateral superficial cervical plexus block with 0.25% bupivacaine 15 mL in each side was performed in Group I, and local anesthetic wound infiltration with 0.25% bupivacaine 20 mL was performed in Group II. In Group III (control) no regional block was administered. Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia was used to evaluate postoperative analgesic requirement. Neither visual analog scale scores nor total patient-controlled analgesia doses were different among groups. We concluded that bilateral superficial cervical plexus block or local anesthetic wound infiltration with 0.25% bupivacaine did not decrease analgesic requirement after thyroid surgery.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Analgesia, Patient-Controlled / methods
  • Analgesia, Patient-Controlled / statistics & numerical data*
  • Bupivacaine / administration & dosage
  • Cervical Plexus / drug effects*
  • Cervical Plexus / physiology
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Block / methods
  • Nerve Block / statistics & numerical data*
  • Pain Measurement / drug effects
  • Pain Measurement / methods
  • Pain, Postoperative / drug therapy*
  • Pain, Postoperative / physiopathology
  • Thyroid Gland / surgery*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Bupivacaine