Retrolaminar Analgesia for LuMbar Surgery
Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Retrolaminar Block Combined With Standard Multimodal Analgesia for Postoperative Pain Management in Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Universidad de los Andes, Chile
50 participants
Mar 1, 2026
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
This randomized controlled trial evaluates the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided retrolaminar nerve block in addition to standard multimodal analgesia for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Fifty patients will be randomly assigned to receive either the retrolaminar block combined with standard pain management or standard pain management alone. The primary outcome is total opioid consumption in the first 24 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes include pain intensity at multiple time points, time to first rescue analgesia, duration of sensory block, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, length of hospital stay, patient satisfaction, and chronic pain development at 3 and 6 months follow-up.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria5
- Adult patients aged 18-80 years
- Scheduled for elective lumbar spine surgery (with instrumentation)
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
- Willing and able to provide written informed consent
- Able to use patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device
Exclusion Criteria10
- Refusal to participate in the study
- Known allergy to local anesthetics (bupivacaine - levobupivacaine - lidocaine) or any study medication
- Contraindication to regional anesthesia (infection at injection site, coagulopathy)
- Chronic opioid use (daily use for >3 months prior to surgery)
- Severe psychiatric disorder that precludes informed consent
- Emergency surgery
- Diabetes mellitus with preoperative glucose >180 mg/dl
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Body mass index (BMI) >40 kg/m²
- Reoperation or revision of the same level of previous spinal surgery
Interested in this trial?
Get notified about updates and connect with the research team.
Interventions
Patients will receive bilateral ultrasound-guided retrolaminar blocks with Bupivacaine 0.25% and Epinephrine 50mcg (15 ml total volume per side) before surgery. The block will be performed by an experienced anesthesiologist using real-time ultrasound guidance.
Patients receive standard multimodal analgesia without regional anesthesia block.
Locations(1)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
For the most up-to-date information, visit the official listing.
NCT07334288