Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound-guided Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Block and Ultrasound-guided Bilateral Quadratus Lumborum Block for Postoperative Pain in Robotic Prostatectomy: A Randomised Comparative Study

Background and Aims: After robotic procedures, one of the most important things that helps patients recover quickly is postoperative pain control. When administered as a truncal block for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing robotic prostatectomy, the quadratus lumborum block (QLB) can be quite successful. Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of bilateral ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block and bilateral ultrasound-guided QLB for postoperative pain relief following robotic prostatectomy. Methods: In this prospective randomised double-blinded study, 50 eligible patients were randomly divided into the QL group (n = 25) and transversus abdominis plane (TAP) group (n = 25). At the end of the surgery, for the QL group, an ultrasound-guided lateral QL block was performed with 20 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine on either side and for group TAP, an ultrasound-guided TAP block was performed with 20 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine on either side. The postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score at rest and movement over 12 hours at different intervals and the time to initiate the first rescue analgesia were the primary and secondary objectives, respectively. Result: The group that received an ultrasound-guided QL block had a better VAS score both at rest and movement over 12 hours post-surgery. Additionally, the mean duration required to take the first rescue analgesic was 6.1 ± 0.7 hours in the TAP block, while in the QL block group, it was 10.6 ± 0.9 hours, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: According to our research, patients who received QL block experienced more effective pain management. Furthermore, the initial rescue analgesia time needed was delayed. Thus, QL block is a useful technique for relieving pain in patients having robotic prostatectomy.