Analgesic efficacy of erector spinae plane block in lumbar spine surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has gained popularity for perioperative analgesia in various surgeries. However, its efficacy in lumbar surgery remains unclear. This review aimed to determine whether ESPB could improve analgesic efficacy in lumbar spine surgery. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Perioperative setting. Patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery under general anesthesia. We searched the databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science etc. for published eligible controlled trials comparing ESPB with control (no block/sham block) in lumbar spine surgery. The primary outcome was opioid consumption in the first 24 h after surgery. Twelve studies comprising 665 participants were included. Compared to the control, ESPB reduced the opioid (morphine milligram equivalents) consumption significantly 24 h after surgery [mean difference (MD) = −14.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), −21.03 to −8.07; P