Postoperative PainNCT07426692
Comparison of Erector Spinae Plane Block and Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia After Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial
A study testing Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) group, Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block and Morfin in people with Postoperative Pain and Thoracic Surgery, Video Assisted, run by Marmara University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the effectiveness of two ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques, erector spinae plane block (ESPB) and serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB), with standard patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 75 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Postoperative Pain, Thoracic Surgery, Video Assisted
- What is being tested?
- Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) group, Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block and Morfin
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion, Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 110 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 2 Mar 2025to 31 Jul 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 75 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age between 18 and 75 years
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
- Scheduled for elective video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)
- Ability to understand and use patient-controlled analgesia device
- Provided written informed consent
Who cannot join
- - Coagulation disorders or current anticoagulant therapy
- Infection at the block application site
- Known allergy to local anesthetic agents
- Anatomical abnormalities interfering with ultrasound-guided block
- Severe cardiac, renal, or hepatic failure
- Neurological or cognitive impairment preventing reliable pain assessment
- Emergency surgery
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Hospital
Istanbul
About this study
This prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the effectiveness of two ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques, erector spinae plane block (ESPB) and serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB), with standard patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain management after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).
Adult patients undergoing elective VATS were randomly assigned to receive ESPB, SPSIPB, or PCA alone. The primary objective was to evaluate postoperative pain intensity during the first 48 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption, rescue analgesia requirements, patient satisfaction, and postoperative complications.
Read the detailed description
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive surgical technique; however, postoperative pain remains clinically significant and may delay recovery and increase opioid consumption. Ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks have been increasingly incorporated into multimodal analgesia strategies in thoracic surgery.
This single-center, prospective, randomized controlled study included adult patients aged 18-75 years with ASA physical status I-III who were scheduled for elective VATS. After obtaining written informed consent and ethics committee approval, patients were randomly assigned in a parallel design to one of three groups: ESPB group, SPSIPB group, or control group receiving morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) alone.
Both ESPB and SPSIPB were performed preoperatively under ultrasound guidance by an experienced anesthesiologist prior to induction of general anesthesia. Standardized general anesthesia and postoperative analgesia protocols were applied to all patients.
The primary outcome was postoperative pain intensity assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10) at predefined time points up to 48 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included cumulative morphine consumption, number of morphine demands, rescue analgesia requirements, patient satisfaction, and opioid-related adverse events.
The study aimed to determine whether SPSIPB provides analgesic efficacy comparable to ESPB and whether both regional techniques reduce opioid consumption compared with PCA alone.
- Being tested
- Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) group, Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block, Morfin
- Medical subject headings
- Pain, Postoperative
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) groupProcedure or surgery
Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block performed preoperatively using local anesthetic.
Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane blockProcedure or surgery
Ultrasound-guided serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block performed preoperatively using local anesthetic.
MorfinDrug
Intravenous morphine administered via patient-controlled analgesia device.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| ESPB Group | Experimental | Patients received ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block prior to induction of general anesthesia in addition to standard postoperative PCA. Receives: Procedure: Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) group |
| SPSIPB Group | Experimental | Patients received ultrasound-guided serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block prior to induction of general anesthesia in addition to standard postoperative PCA. Receives: Procedure: Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block |
| PCA Group | Active comparator | Patients received standard postoperative morphine patient-controlled analgesia without regional block. Receives: Drug: Morfin |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Postoperative pain intensity
Postoperative pain assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates worst imaginable pain.
Measured: 0 to 48 hours postoperatively
Secondary outcomes (2)
Cumulative morphine consumption
Total amount of intravenous morphine administered via patient-controlled analgesia device.
Measured: 0 to 48 hours postoperatively
Rescue analgesia requirements
Measured: 12 hours postoperatively
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Feb 2026
- Study start2 Mar 2025
- Primary completion31 Jul 2025
- Study completion31 Jul 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Postoperative PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Marmara UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 110 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Marmara University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Meliha Orhon, Marmara University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07426692
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 09.2025.25-0167
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 15 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 23 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Comparison of Erector Spinae Plane Block and Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia After Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07426692
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 09.2025.25-0167
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 110 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Marmara UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 2 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the effectiveness of two ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques, erector spinae plane block (ESPB) and serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB), with standard patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain management after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).
Adult patients undergoing elective VATS were randomly assigned to receive ESPB, SPSIPB, or PCA alone. The primary objective was to evaluate postoperative pain intensity during the first 48 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption, rescue analgesia requirements, patient satisfaction, and postoperative complications.
Detailed description
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive surgical technique; however, postoperative pain remains clinically significant and may delay recovery and increase opioid consumption. Ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks have been increasingly incorporated into multimodal analgesia strategies in thoracic surgery.
This single-center, prospective, randomized controlled study included adult patients aged 18-75 years with ASA physical status I-III who were scheduled for elective VATS. After obtaining written informed consent and ethics committee approval, patients were randomly assigned in a parallel design to one of three groups: ESPB group, SPSIPB group, or control group receiving morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) alone.
Both ESPB and SPSIPB were performed preoperatively under ultrasound guidance by an experienced anesthesiologist prior to induction of general anesthesia. Standardized general anesthesia and postoperative analgesia protocols were applied to all patients.
The primary outcome was postoperative pain intensity assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10) at predefined time points up to 48 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included cumulative morphine consumption, number of morphine demands, rescue analgesia requirements, patient satisfaction, and opioid-related adverse events.
The study aimed to determine whether SPSIPB provides analgesic efficacy comparable to ESPB and whether both regional techniques reduce opioid consumption compared with PCA alone.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| ESPB Group | Experimental | Procedure: Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) groupPatients received ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block prior to induction of general anesthesia in addition to standard postoperative PCA. |
| SPSIPB Group | Experimental | Procedure: Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane blockPatients received ultrasound-guided serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block prior to induction of general anesthesia in addition to standard postoperative PCA. |
| PCA Group | Active comparator | Drug: MorfinPatients received standard postoperative morphine patient-controlled analgesia without regional block. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 75 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Age between 18 and 75 years
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
- Scheduled for elective video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)
- Ability to understand and use patient-controlled analgesia device
- Provided written informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- - Coagulation disorders or current anticoagulant therapy
- Infection at the block application site
- Known allergy to local anesthetic agents
- Anatomical abnormalities interfering with ultrasound-guided block
- Severe cardiac, renal, or hepatic failure
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) groupUltrasound-guided erector spinae plane block performed preoperatively using local anesthetic. | Procedure or surgery | ESPB Group |
| Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane blockUltrasound-guided serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block performed preoperatively using local anesthetic. | Procedure or surgery | SPSIPB Group |
| MorfinIntravenous morphine administered via patient-controlled analgesia device. | Drug | PCA Group |
Primary outcome
Postoperative pain intensity
Time frame: 0 to 48 hours postoperatively
Postoperative pain assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, 0-10), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates worst imaginable pain.
2 secondary outcomes
Cumulative morphine consumption
Time frame: 0 to 48 hours postoperatively
Rescue analgesia requirements
Time frame: 12 hours postoperatively
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Postoperative Pain
RecruitingPhase 4
ESP Blocks for Posterior Spinal Fusion
Postoperative Pain
Recruiting
Effect of Cryotherapeutic and Nanotherapeutic Sodium Hypochlorite on Post-Operative Endodontic Pain.
Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis, Symptomatic Apical Periodontitis
RecruitingPhase 2
REctus Sheath Trial
Acute Pain, Postoperative Pain, Acute
Not yet recruiting
Effect of Pectoral Nerve Block (PECS) Using Magnesium Sulfate Added to Dexamethasone on Quality of Recovery and Chronic Post-Mastectomy Pain
Breast Cancer, Postoperative Pain
Active, not recruitingPhase 4
Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Pain in Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section at Assuit University Hospital
Cesarean Section
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) group, Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block and Morfin in people with Postoperative Pain and Thoracic Surgery, Video Assisted, run by Marmara University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Postoperative pain intensity (time frame: 0 to 48 hours postoperatively). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Feb 2026.