NCT07426692

Brief 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 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.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
110

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable postoperative-pain

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2025

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable postoperative-pain

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 2, 2025

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 31, 2025

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 31, 2025

Completed
7 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 15, 2026

Completed
8 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 23, 2026

Completed
Last Updated

February 23, 2026

Status Verified

February 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

5 months

First QC Date

February 15, 2026

Last Update Submit

February 15, 2026

Conditions

Postoperative PainThoracic Surgery, Video Assisted

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • 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.

    0 to 48 hours postoperatively

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Cumulative morphine consumption

    0 to 48 hours postoperatively

  • Rescue analgesia requirements

    12 hours postoperatively

Study Arms (3)

ESPB Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients received ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block prior to induction of general anesthesia in addition to standard postoperative PCA.

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.

Procedure: Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block

PCA Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients received standard postoperative morphine patient-controlled analgesia without regional block.

Drug: Morfin

Interventions

MorfinDRUG

Intravenous morphine administered via patient-controlled analgesia device.

PCA Group
Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) groupPROCEDURE

Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block performed preoperatively using local anesthetic.

ESPB Group
Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane blockPROCEDURE

Ultrasound-guided serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block performed preoperatively using local anesthetic.

SPSIPB Group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 75 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • 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

You may not qualify if:

  • \- 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

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Hospital

Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pain, Postoperative

Interventions

Population Groups

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Postoperative ComplicationsPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsPainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

DemographyPopulation Characteristics

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Masking Details
Postoperative pain assessments were performed by clinicians who were blinded to group allocation in order to minimize assessment bias.
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
associate professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 15, 2026

First Posted

February 23, 2026

Study Start

March 2, 2025

Primary Completion

July 31, 2025

Study Completion

July 31, 2025

Last Updated

February 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

TU(1)