Analgesic Efficacy of Mid-point Transverse Process to Pleura Block Compared With Thoracic Paravertebral Block in Adult Patients Undergoing Posterolateral Thoracotomy Incisions: A Randomized Controlled Study
The ultrasound guided Thoracic paravertebral (TPV) block in the context of posterolateral thoracotomy offers targeted pain relief by anesthetizing the spinal nerves as they emerge from the intervertebral foramina, producing ipsilateral somatosensory, visceral and sympathetic nerve blockade. TPV block involves the injection of local anesthetic (LA) into the wedge-shaped paravertebral space deep to the superior costotransverse ligament (SCTL) Costach et al introduced the mid-point transverse process to pleura block (MTP) as a modification of conventional paravertebral block by placing the LA posterior to the (SCTL) under ultrasound guidence achieving an effective block without the necessity to approach the pleura and the attendant risks. In recent studies ,the ultrasound guided MTP block provided an effective analgesia in various surgical procedures including mastectomy , video-assisted thoracic surgeries and cardiac surgeries. In our study we hypothesized that the mid-point transverse process to pleura (MTP) block can provide an effective analgesia comparable with thoracic paravertebral (TPV) block in adult patients undergoing posterolateral thoracotomy incisions.
• Patients Scheduled for elective thoracic surgery for pneumectomy, lobectomy, bullectomy or pleural decortication via posterolateral thoracotomy incision.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III patients