Prospective Study: The Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block versus Serratus Plane Block in Patients Undergoing Modified Radical Mastectomy

Background: Breast Cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer affecting ‎women undergoing modified radical mastectomy, causing acute pain, and in ‎high percentage of patients it progresses to chronic pain syndromes. The Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) ‎and Serratus Anterior Plane Block (SAPB) are options of regional anesthesia that can produce reliable ‎analgesia. In this study we aimed to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of ‎ultrasound guided ESPB and SAPB in patients underwent modified radical ‎mastectomy operation.

Patients and Methods: Patients were randomly classified using computer generated numbers ‎concealed in ‎ sealed opaque envelopes into three equal groups; 30 patients ‎were enrolled in each group. ‎Group I: Control Group (C): Patients received intravenous (IV) systemic analgesia only, Group II: ESPB group: Patients received ‎ipsilateral ultrasound guided ESPB using 20 ml bupivacaine 0.25% at the ‎level of the 4th thoracic segment (T4). and Group III: SPB group: Patients received ipsilateral ‎serratus plane block using 30 ml bupivacaine 0.25% at the level of the 5th rib.‎

Results: In this study, 113 patients were assessed for eligibility, 16 patients ‎did not meet the criteria and 7 patients refused to participate in the study. ‎The remaining 90 patients were randomly allocated into three groups (30 ‎patients in each). All patients (90) were followed-up and analyzed ‎statistically‎.

Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided SAPB and ESPB provided effective post-‎operative analgesia in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy with ‎lower pain scores, less peri operative analgesic consumption and longer ‎duration of analgesia in SAPB.