Analgesic Efficacy and Motor-Sparing Properties of Superior Trunk Block versus Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block with Liposomal Bupivacaine for Shoulder Arthroscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Mi Zhang, Zhe Jin, Mengyu Wang et al.
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From the abstract
The interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) is widely regarded as the most commonly used regional anesthesia technique for perioperative analgesia in arthroscopic shoulder surgery; however, it is associated with a high incidence of phrenic nerve paresis and profound, often complete, motor blockade of the upper extremity.
Reported results
No statistically significant differences were observed in either resting or activity VAS scores between the two groups at any postoperative time points (all P > 0.0125 after Bonferroni correction). Crucially, the STB group achieved significantly higher MBS scores compared to the ISB group (median difference 0.00, 95% CI: 0.00 to 1.00; Z = -2.706, P = 0.007), demonstrating a profound motor-sparing effect on the upper…
Authors' conclusions
Ultrasound-guided superior trunk block with a liposomal bupivacaine admixture provides postoperative analgesia comparable to the traditional interscalene approach, with no statistically significant differences in VAS scores observed between the two groups.