Superficial Cervical Plexus Block for Postoperative Pain Management in Patients Undergoing Supraglottic Laryngectomy and Bilateral Neck Dissection: A Case Series

Superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) has been widely utilized in anesthesia and analgesia management for head and neck surgeries. This case series aims to share our experience with SCPB for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing supraglottic laryngectomy, bilateral neck dissection, and tracheostomy due to laryngeal carcinoma. SCPB was administered to 10 patients aged over 18 years with an ASA score of 2 or 3, who underwent supraglottic laryngectomy, bilateral neck dissection, and tracheostomy between January 15, 2023, and March 15, 2023. The blocks were performed using ultrasonography guidance with 0.1 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine. Routine anesthesia induction was followed by maintenance with 2% sevoflurane and intravenous remifentanil infusion. Postoperative pain was assessed using the numeric rating scale (NRS) at 1, 6, 12, and 24 hours. The average NRS scores were 1.6 at 1 hour, 2.3 at 6 hours, 2.4 at 12 hours, and 2.4 at 24 hours postoperatively. SCPB was effective in reducing postoperative pain, with minimal additional analgesia required. No complications related to SCPB were observed. SCPB provides effective postoperative pain management for patients undergoing supraglottic laryngectomy and bilateral neck dissection, with a favorable safety profile. However, further studies with larger sample sizes and comparison groups are needed to validate these findings.