Bilateral ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia in paediatric idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spine fusion surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Purpose Major spinal surgery causes severe pain. We examined the ability of erector spinae plane block (ESPB) to alleviate pain after posterior spinal fusion (PSF) in paediatric scoliosis patients. Methods Seventy-two patients who underwent PSF were randomized into a preoperative ultrasound-guided ESPB group or a no-block control group. The composite primary outcome was the area under the curve (AUC) of the numerical rating scale (NRS) score in the first 24 h after surgery and the number of parent-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) boluses administered 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes included the NRS score, opioid consumption, rescue analgesia, adverse events, and quality of recovery. Results The AUC-NRS at rest was 62 (13) in the ESPB group and 89 (13) in the control group ( P