Post-thoracotomy Pain Syndrome Research Articles

Post-Torakotomi Ağrı Sendromu: İnsidans, Nöropatik Bileşen ve Risk Faktörleri

Objective: Pain that recurs or persists at least two months after thoracotomy is defined as post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS), and neuropathic pain (NP) is expected to develop in approximately half of these patients. This study aimed to examine the frequency of PTPS, the neuropathic component of pain, and the effecting risk factors in patients who underwent thoracotomy. Methods: 862 patients who underwent thoracotomy were monitored between January 2010 and May 2013 at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. The study continued with 277 patients who could be contacted by phone at least three months after the operation. In these patients, the presence of pain was questioned, if present, the severity of pain, NP and affecting risk factors were investigated. The pain severity and NP component were evaluated using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) questionnaires, respectively. Results: Severe PTPS frequency after thoracotomy was found to be 19.1 % and NP was present in 53% of patients with NRS 3-10. As the severity of pain increased, the frequency of NP and analgesic drug consumption increased (p<0.05). As risk factors gender, age, operation duration and epidural analgesia application did not significantly affect the frequency and severity of PTPS and NP. As the time after the operation increased; PTSP frequency, neuropathic pain frequency and pain intensity were decreased (p<0.05). Conclusion: Severe PTPS is detected in approximately one in five patients who undergone thoracotomy and half of them had NP. The neuropathic component of pain increases as pain intensity increases and decreases as time passes after surgery. The development of PTPS and NP should be reduced by providing effective analgesia. Keywords: Thoracotomy, chronic pain, post-thoracotomy pain syndrome, neuropathic pain

Postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing thoracotomy: A comparison between total intravenous anesthesia and inhalation anesthesia

Objective: Propofol is more effective than inhalational anesthesia; however, the results for the management of acute pain remain controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the incidence of acute pain after inhalation anesthesia and total intravenous anesthesia among patients who underwent thoracotomy at our hospital. Methods: We conducted a single center retrospective observational study using data from electronic medical records. Sixty patients aged ≥20 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I or II who underwent regular and emergency thoracotomy between January 1, 2016, and January 1, 2020, at Chungbuk National University Hospital were included in this study. The anesthesia and postoperative pain records of those who received total intravenous anesthesia (n=30) and inhalation anesthesia (n=30) were retrospectively reviewed. The pain score on the numeric rating scale (NRS) was evaluated at 2, 8, 24, and 30 hours postoperatively. Results: The average NRS score of patients who received total intravenous anesthesia was lesser than that of those who received inhalational anesthesia. Moreover, the difference in the NRS scores at eight hours postoperatively was statistically significant (P <0.05). Patients who received inhalational anesthesia had a higher pain score and experienced more severe pain than those who received intravenous anesthesia. Conclusions: Total intravenous anesthesia with propofol-remifentanil provided better analgesia for acute postoperative pain in patients who underwent thoracotomy than inhalational anesthesia, suggesting it may be considered the combination of choice for thoracic surgery.Abbreviations: ASA: American Society of Anesthesiologists, CRTS: Chronic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome, GABA: Gamma-aminobutyric acid, IL: Interleukin, NRS: numeric rating scale.doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.9907How to cite this: Lee JY, Jeong ST, Hwang JH, Park SH. Postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing thoracotomy: A comparison between total intravenous anesthesia and inhalation anesthesia. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(10):2219-2222. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.9907This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Ultrasound-guided continuous erector spinae plane block vs continuous thoracic epidural analgesia for the management of acute and chronic postthoracotomy pain: a randomized, controlled,double-blind trial.

Postthoracotomy pain (PTP) is a severe pain complicating thoracic surgeries and its good management decreases the risk of PTP syndrome (PTPS). This randomized controlled study evaluated the efficacy of ultrasound-guided continuous erector spinae plane block (ESPB) with or without dexmedetomidine compared with thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) in managing acute postoperative pain and the possible emergence of PTPS. Ninety patients with chest malignancies planned for thoracotomy were randomly allocated into 3 equal groups. Group 1: TEA (20 mL of levobupivacaine 0.25% bolus, then 0.1 mL/kg/h of levobupivacaine 0.1%), group 2: ESPB (20 mL of levobupivacaine only 0.1% bolus every 6 hours), and group 3: ESPB (20 mL of levobupivacaine 0.25% and 0.5 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine Hcl bolus every 6 hours). Resting and dynamic visual analog scales were higher in group 2 compared with groups 1 and 3 at 6, 24, and 36 hours and at 8 and 12 weeks. Postthoracotomy pain syndrome incidence was higher in group 2 compared with groups 1 and 3 at 8 and 12 weeks, whereas it was indifferent between groups 1 and 3. The grading system for neuropathic pain score was higher in group 2 compared with groups 1 and 3 at 8 and 12 weeks, whereas it was indifferent between groups 1 and 3. Itching, pruritis, and urine retention were higher in group 1 than in ESPB groups. Ultrasound-guided ESPB with dexmedetomidine is as potent as TEA in relieving acute PTP and reducing the possible emergence of chronic PTPS. However, the 2 techniques were superior to ESPB without dexmedetomidine. Erector spinae plane block has fewer side effects compared with TEA.

TORAKAL DORSAL KÖK GANGLİYONU PULSED RADYOFREKANS UYGULAMASININ ETKİNLİĞİNİN POSTHERPETİK NEVRALJİ İLE POSTTORAKOTOMİ AĞRI SENDROMLARI ÜZERİNE ETKİLERİNİN KARŞILAŞTIRILMASI

Aim: The causative agent of herpes zoster (HZ) is the reactivated varicella-zoster virus. HZ leads to severe and painful rashes that can be accompanied by long-term pain, i.e., postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) is defined as “recurrent or persistent pain along the thoracotomy incision at least two months after surgery”⁸.
 Methods: In this study, the medical records of all the patients were reviewed for age, gender, size, thoracic level, cause of pain, and visual analog scale (VAS) and DN4 scores from the patient files maintained in the archive of the Department of Algology. Two cycles of pulse radiofrequency (PRF) were administered for 2 min each. Then, a total of 5 ml of dexamethasone, lidocaine, bupivacaine, and isotonic solutions of 4 mg, 20 mg, 5 mg, and 5 mg, respectively, were added through the RF cannula at the DRG level in each application.
 Results: In total, 40 patients, including 25 men (62.5%) and 15 women (37.5%), were analyzed in this study. The mean age of the patients was 60.5 ± 12.4 years, and the median duration of pain was 2 years (0.2–15 years). When PHN and PTPS groups were compared on the basis of the pain etiology, the VAS values before treatment were not statistically different (p = 0.129), whereas the VAS values after treatment were significantly lower in the PTPS group than in the PHN group (p = 0.001).
 Conclusions: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of DRG PRF therapy on the causes of chronic thoracic pain and in different etiologies. The results revealed that PRF therapy is more effective in treating patients with PTPS than those with PHN. We also found that factors such as age, gender, and size did not significantly affect the treatment.
 
 Keywords: Postherpetic neuralgia, post-thoracotomy pain syndrome, pulsed radiofrequency

Serratus anterior plane block versus thoracic epidural block in patients undergoing thoracotomy: a randomized double-blind trial

Background & Objective: Standard pain management technique after thoracic surgery is thoracic epidural analgesia, parentral analgesics and nerve blocks. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) has many known complications, including respiratory depression and urinary retention. Serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a simple procedure, which provides postoperative pain relief by blocking the lateral cutaneous branches of T2–T9 spinal neurons. We compared the analgesic efficacy of both of these techniques in thoracotomy patients in this randomized trial.
 Methodology: The study involved 74 cancer patients scheduled for thoracotomy. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. The patients in Group SAPB underwent ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plan block (SAPB) with catheter insertion. The second group (Group TEA) underwent TEA with preoperative indwelling catheter insertion. In both groups blocks were activated before induction of routine general anesthesia (GA) by a bupivacaine bolus dose, then continued as bupivacaine infusion in ICU for postoperative analgesia. Hemodynamic monitoring was started. Intraoperative fentanyl consumption, postoperative morphine consumption, and time to first request for analgesic were noted including MAP in the two groups.
 Results: Both groups were statistically comparable regarding intraoperative fentanyl consumption, postoperative morphine consumption, and time to first request for analgesia in the two groups. Hypotensive episodes were significantly more frequent (P < 0.001) in the TEA group (n = 17; 45.9%) compared to the Group SAPB (n = 2; 5.4%). Ramsey sedation scores (RSS) were comparable in the two groups immediately postoperatively and after 2 h. After 4 h after recovery all patients in both groups had an RSS of 2.
 Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block is associated with reduced intraoperative and postoperative fentanyl consumption, but the Ramsey sedation scores were equivalent in the two groups after recovery and upto 4h.
 Abbreviations: GA: General Anesthesia; PTPS: Post-Thoracotomy Pain Syndrome: RSS: Ramsey Sedation Score; SAPB: Serratus Anterior Plane Block; TEA: Thoracic Epidural Analgesia; VATS: Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery
 Key words: Pain, Postoperative; Serrataus plane block; Thoracotomy; Ultrasound; Thoracic epidural
 Citation: Gamal RM, Bossily SS, Ali AR, Samy SF, Seif NE, Ahmed HI. Serratus anterior plane block versus thoracic epidural block in patients undergoing thoracotomy: a randomized double-blind trial. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2023;27(3):389−395.
 DOI: 10.35975/apic.v27i3.2243
 Received: March 06, 2023; Reviewed: March 31, 2023; Accepted: April 01, 2023

Post-thoracotomy pain syndrome in the era of minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

Post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) is defined as pain around the wound that persists for more than 2 months after surgery. Persistent pain not only increases the use of analgesics and their side effects but also causes many social problems, such as decreased activities of daily living, decreased quality of life, and increased medical costs. In particular, thoracic surgery is associated with a higher frequency and severity of chronic pain than is surgery for other diseases. The basic principles of postoperative pain treatment, not limited to thoracic surgery, are multimodal analgesic methods (using combinations of several drugs to minimize opioid use) and around-the-clock treatment (administering analgesics at a fixed time and in sufficient doses). Thoracic surgeons must always be aware of the following three points: acute severe postoperative pain is a major risk factor for chronic pain; neuropathic pain due to intercostal nerve injury is a major cause of postoperative pain after thoracic surgery, and its presence must not be overlooked from the acute stage; and analgesics must be administered in sufficient quantities according to dosage and volume. The frequency of PTPS has decreased compared with that in the standard thoracotomy era because of the development of analgesia and the widespread use of minimally invasive procedures such as thoracoscopic surgery and robot-assisted surgery. However, no consistently effective prevention or treatment strategies for PTPS have yet been established. In this review, we focus on PTPS in the era of minimally invasive surgery and discuss the role of thoracic surgeons in its management.

Reduction of the risk of bronchopleural complications after pneumonectomy due to the use of intraoperative laser treatment of the stump of the main bronchus

Purpose of the study: due to the intraoperative technique of treating the stump of the main bronchus with a high-energy laser LSP-30 during pneumonectomy, to increase the effectiveness of the treatment of patients with destructive widespread pulmonary tuberculosis.Materials and methods. The results of treatment of 112 patients were analyzed. All patients underwent lung removal due to widespread destructive tuberculosis. Patients were divided into main and control groups. The first group, the main one, consisted of 58 patients selected prospectively with a high risk of bronchopleural complications, of which 63.8% (n = 37) of patients had signs of hemoptysis and episodes of pulmonary hemorrhage, which required urgent and sometimes emergency surgical intervention. In 36.2% (n = 21) of patients, limited empyema of the pleural cavity without bronchopleural fistulas was determined radiographically. All patients of the main group after the stage of lung removal before the formation of a stump, the mucosa of the main bronchus was irradiated with a high-energy laser LSP-30 with a wavelength of 930 nm. 54 patients of the control group, selected retrospectively, in whom the course of the fibroticcavernous tuberculosis passed without complications and the HA stump after pneumonectomy was formed without the use of laser irradiation. There were no endoscopic signs of active tuberculous inflammation of the tracheobronchial tree in patients of both groups. A number of patients, in the main group in 5.2% (n = 3) and in the control group in 3.7% (n = 2), showed signs of scarring of the bronchus after tuberculosis. These patients, as part of preoperative preparation, underwent endoscopic biopsy of the main bronchus mucosa in the scar areas, and only after histological confirmation of the absence of active tuberculous inflammation, pneumonectomy was performed.Results. Pronounced post-thoracotomy pain syndrome in 5.2% (n = 3) of patients in the main group and in 9.3% (n = 5) of patients in the control group, for the relief of which narcotic analgesics were used for a long time. Progression of respiratory insufficiency, as a result of accession of nonspecific pneumonia of the only lung in 5.2% (n = 3) of patients of the main group and in 7.4% (n = 4) of patients of the control group, which was resolved by additional resuscitation and avoided mortality. Formation of residual pleural cavity on days 7–21 of the postoperative period in 6.9% (n = 4) of patients in the main group and in 1.8% (n = 1) of patients in the control group in the apex of the hemithorax, which required several sessions of thoracocentesis for the complete elimination of residual pleural cavity. The formation of a pulmonary hernia and the displacement of the mediastinal organs towards fibrothorax, in 5.2% (n = 3) of patients in the main group and in 1.8% (n = 1) in patients of the control group, this complication is the main manifestation of postpneumonectomy syndrome. Progression of tuberculosis in the only lung in 5.2% (n = 3) of patients of the main group and 3.7% (n = 2) of patients in the control group. This complication was revealed radiographically, despite the anti-tuberculosis therapy carried out in the postoperative period in accordance with the sensitivity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, identified from the surgical material. Intrapleural bleeding in the early postoperative period was detected in 3.7% (n = 2) of patients in the control group, and no such cases were detected in the main group. All cases of intrapleural bleeding in the control group were urgently stopped.Conclusions. The effectiveness of surgical treatment of patients with widespread destructive pulmonary tuberculosis in the volume of pneumonectomy using intraoperative laser treatment of the mucosa of the main bronchus was 98.3%, while in the control group, where the intraoperative technique was not used, it was significantly lower – 87.1% (p < 0.01). A high percentage of cases of histological detection of an inflammatory process on the resection line is a scientifically substantiated confirmation of the need for intraoperative laser treatment of the main bronchus mucosa by the proposed method in patients with widespread destructive tuberculosis during pneumonectomy.

Nerve changes associated with post thoracotomy pain syndrome.

Chronic post-thoracotomy pain (PTPS) is a frequent complication of thoracic operations. Sometimes the pain is excruciating enough to impair activities of daily living (ADL). All thoracic procedures have the potential to cause trauma to the intercostal nerves due to retractor use, chest closure techniques, and or wound healing. In our study, we analyzed the microscopic aspects of the nerves involved in the healing process, to better understand the histopathology of chronic pain. 29 patients with PTPS underwent intercostal neurectomy to alleviate the symptoms. Microscopic specimens harvested during the surgeries were sent to our pathology unit for evaluation. The following data regarding the surgical procedures was collected: surgical approach, chest closure type, number of excised nerves, and time interval from previous surgery to neurectomy. A mean of 2.34±1.11 nerves were excised. Microscopy of the specimens revealed: fibrosis, hyalinization of the epineurium and perineurium, intense hyperemia of the blood capillaries, and interstitial edema. 7 cases presented with myxoid degeneration of epineurium and perineurium. In all the cases, endoneurium, myelin sheaths, and axons were interrupted. The endoneurium showed the presence of hyperemic dilated capillaries. The segmental cytoplasmic vacuolization of Schwann's cells with the total disappearance of axons was also noted. 60% of the examined specimens had intraneural myxoid degeneration, with highly dense irregular connective tissue around nerve fibers. The pathologic findings in the structure of the intercostal nerves obtained from the patients are indicative of the involvement of the wound healing mechanisms in PTPS. The negative impact of wound healing could be considered a key component in the development of intense chronic pain.

Evaluation of the efficacy of paravertebral blockade as a component of combined anesthesia in the surgical treatment of pulmonary cancer

The aim. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of implemented combined anaesthesia (inhalation with paravertebral blockade) in comparison with inhalation anaesthesia (IA) and total intravenous anaesthesia (TVA) at the stages of surgery and the early postoperative period in the surgical treatment of cancer lungs.
 Methods. The study involved 60 patients with an average age of 55±5.6 years, physical status ASA II–III, who underwent open surgical interventions in the scope of frontal or pneumonectomy or resection of part of the lung. Patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the method of anaesthetic support at the stage of anaesthesia maintenance: I (n=20) – combined anaesthesia was used; II (n=20) – IA with sevoflurane; III (n=20) – TVA. In addition, the leading indicators of central hemodynamics were studied; oxygen saturation (SaO2), CO2 ET (concentration of CO2 in exhaled air), cortisol level, and indicators of acid-base status were determined. The effectiveness of analgesia in the early postoperative period was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at 10 control stages. Fasting intensity was recorded after waking up, after extubation, after 1 h. after surgery, on the first day after surgery every 3 h. and once a day from the 2nd day for 5-6 days.
 Results. The studied clinical and laboratory indicators indicated an adequate course of the applied type of anaesthesia. In the dynamics of pain syndrome (PS) in the postoperative period, a gradual subjective increase of pain syndrome was noted until the 3rd day, including a decrease in pain on the 4th - 6th day. It was established that when using combined anaesthesia, a less significant level of PS, according to VAS, was noted compared to inhalation anaesthesia and the use of TVA.
 Conclusions. Combined anaesthesia (inhalation with PVB) can more effectively prevent the development of post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) compared to TVA and IA in the surgical treatment of lung cancer

Post-thoracotomy Pain Syndrome.

This article reviews PTPS demographics, diagnosis, pathophysiology, surgical and anesthetic techniques, and their role in preventing PTPS along with updated treatment options. Post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) can be incapacitating. The neuropathic type pain of PTPS is along the incision site and persists at least 2months postoperatively. There is a wide reported range of prevalence of PTPS. There are several risk factors that have been identified including surgical technique and younger age. Several surgical and anesthetic techniques have been trialed to reduce pain after thoracotomy. Multimodal pain control is the suggested long-term treatment plan for patients with PTPS. There are several factors that can be modified to reduce pain and incidence of PTPS during the perioperative period and the use of multimodal analgesia is suggested for the treatment of PTPS.

Serratus Anterior Block for Long-Term Post-Thoracoscopy Pain Management.

PurposeNeuropathic, chronic pain is a common and severe complication following thoracic surgery, known as post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS). Here we evaluated the efficacy of an ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) on pain control compared to traditional pain management with intravenous opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) six months after thoracic surgery.Patients and MethodsIn this retrospective observational study, we analyzed data from a questionnaire survey. We interviewed all patients who underwent elective video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery (VATS) at Soroka University Medical Center between December 2016 and January 2018. The responses of ninety-one patients were included.ResultsParticipants reported PTPS in both groups, 43% of patients in the SAPB group and 57% of patients in the standard group, which failed to reach significance. However, we demonstrated that the percentage of pain occurrence trended lower in the SAPB group. There was significantly less burning/stitching or shooting, shocking, pressure-like, and aching pain in SAPB patients compared to the standard protocol group. Patients in the SAPB group had significantly less pain located in the upper and lower posterior thorax anatomical regions compared to the standard protocol group. Moreover, we found a significant difference in occurrence of PTPS depending on the type of thoracic surgery. From both study groups, 69% of patients who underwent lobectomy reported pain, compared with 41.9% of those in the segmental (wedge resection) procedure, and 42.1% of patients in other procedures.ConclusionWhile the present study did not demonstrate a statistically significant reduction of PTPS after SAPB concerning postoperative pain control, there was a trend of a decrease. We also found significance in the type of pain and location of pain after thoracic surgery between the two groups, as well as a significant difference between pain occurrence in types of thoracic surgeries from both groups.

New Thoracotomy Closure, a Simple Way to Decrease Chronic Post-Operative Pain in Selected Patients-Blinded Prospective Study.

Background and Objectives: Chronic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) is a very common and uncomfortable complication, occurring frequently after thoracic operations, leading to the necessity of further medication and hospitalizations. One important risk factor in developing chronic pain is the chest closure technique, which can lead to chronic intercostal nerve damage. This study proposes an alternative nerve-sparring closure technique to standard peri-costal sutures, aimed toward minimizing the risk of chronic pain in selected patients. Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective randomized study on 311 patients operated for various thoracic pathology over a period of 12 months, evaluating incision types, chest closure technique, and number of drains with drainage duration. The patients were divided into three groups: peri-costal (PC), proposed extra-costal (EC), and simple (SC) suture, respectively. Pain was measured on day 1, 2, 5, 7, and at 6 months post-operatively using the Visual Analogic Scale. Results: No significant differences in pain level were recorded in the first two post-operative days between the PC and EC groups. However, a significant decrease in pain level was observed on day 5 and at 6 months post-operatively, with a mean level of 3.5 ± 1.8, 1.2 ± 1 for the EC group compared to a mean value of 5.3 ± 1.6, 3.2 ± 1.5, respectively. No significant differences were observed regarding other evaluated variables. Conclusions: The lower recorded pain scores in patients with extra-costal chest closure are a strong argument to use this technique. Its ease of use is similar to the classic peri-costal closure, and the time needed to perform it is not significantly increased. The association of this technique with less invasive procedures and short drainage duration limits chronic post-operative pain. This procedure may represent an option for decreasing healthcare costs associated with the management of PTPS.

Post-Thoracotomy Pain: Review Article

Background: Thoracotomy is a very painful surgical procedure that is used to get access into the pleural space, to the lungs, to the heart, to the esophagus or to get access to the thoracic aorta or anterior mediastinum. Objective: To study different modalities of treatment used for post thoracotomy pain control. Recent Findings: Inadequate post-thoracotomy analgesia enhances the postoperative stress response with deleterious effects on respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, urinary, immune and coagulation systems. In addition to anxiety and increased risk of Post Thoracotomy Pain Syndrome (PTPS), which can interfere with normal life and may persist for years or even for life? Conclusion: Providing adequate post-thoracotomy analgesia can be challenging, as patients are often elderly or having multiple comorbidities. A multimodal approach is considered in managing post-thoracotomy pain starting with preemptive analgesia and cognitive behavioral modalities in addition to conventional multimodal systemic regimens as opioids, acetaminophen, NSAID, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-specific inhibitors, gabapentin and pregabalin, steroids, IV lidocaine infusion, ketamine, and many regional analgesic modalities to avoid or decrease adverse effects of systemic regimens. These regional analgesic modalities include thoracic epidural blocks, thoracic paravertebral blocks, intrathecal opioid analgesia, serratus anterior plane blocks, intercostal nerve blocks, interscalene block, erector spinae block and interpleural block.

A Review of Techniques of Intercostal Nerve Blocks

Intercostal nerve blocks are indicated for multiple chronic pain and acute pain conditions including rib fractures, herpes zoster, post-thoracotomy pain syndrome, and intercostal neuralgia. Intercostal neuralgia is a type of neuropathic pain that is in the distribution of intercostal nerves. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the different techniques used to perform intercostal nerve blocks and review their efficacy and safety including blind technique using anatomical landmarks, and fluoroscopically guided and ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve blocks. Literature search was performed with the keywords including intercostal neuralgia, treatment, intercostal nerve blocks, and radiofrequency ablation on PubMed and Google Scholar. Three studies and one case report were identified. Literature review revealed that ultrasound-guided techniques and fluoroscopically guided techniques are superior to landmark-based technique in terms of efficacy. There was no difference in efficacy and complication rates between ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance. Ultrasound-guided techniques and fluoroscopically guided techniques can both be performed safely and effectively for various chronic pain conditions. Ultrasound guidance has its advantages of direct visualization of nerves, vessels, muscles, and the lung. It is potentially a superior technique in terms of improving accuracy and decreasing complications. Further large population randomized control studies should be conducted to compare the efficacy of intercostal nerve blocks performed under ultrasound and fluoroscopy.

Serratus Anterior Plane Block as a Regional Analgesia Technique for Post Thoracotomy and Thoracoscopy Pain: Review Article

Background: Chest wall surgeries are accompanied by severe postoperative pain. Inadequate relief of this pain may lead to both pulmonary complications as lung atelectasis and infection and chronic post thoracotomy pain syndrome. Regional analgesic modalities are important portion of the multimodal therapeutic approach suggested for the management of post thoracotomy pain. Objective: To evaluate serratus anterior plane block as a regional analgesia technique for post thoracotomy and thoracoscopy pain. Recent Findings: Serratus anterior plane block (SAPB), a regional analgesic modality developed by Blanco et al. in 2013, has shown good analgesic effect after thoracotomy and thoracoscopy in many case reports and clinical trials. In such block, a local anesthetic is injected in the fascial plane deep or superficial to the serratus anterior muscle leading to block of lateral cutaneous branches of the intercostal nerves. This provides a sensory block of T2–T9 dermatomes. Conclusion:Serratus anterior plane block as a fascial plane block can be a preferred regional analgesia technique for both post-operative pain management with procedures involving anterolateral chest wall as thoracotomy, thoracoscopy and breast surgery and in cases of multiple rib fractures. This is owing to its easy technique, effective pain relief and potentially better side effects profile compared to other regional modalities and systemic opioids.

Incidence of Acute and Chronic Post-Thoracotomy Pain in Pediatric Patients

We studied acute and chronic pain in pediatric patients who underwent thoracotomy for benign disease with a follow-up of at least three months. A telephone interview investigated about the presence of pain and the analgesic therapy in progress. The results were compared with the anesthetic technique, postoperative pain and the adequacy of pain therapy, both during the first week after surgery and at the time of interview. Fifty-six families consented to the study. The mean age of the children at surgery was 2.9 ± 4.5 years, while at the time of the interview was 6.5 ± 4.4 years. We performed different anesthetic strategies: Group A: general anesthesia (36 pts); Group B: general anesthesia and thoracic epidural (10 pts); Group C: general anesthesia and intercostal nerve block (10 pts). During the immediate postoperative period, 21 patients (37.5%) had at least one painful episode. At the time of interview, 3 children (5.3%) had moderate chronic neuropathic (burning) pain on surgical scar. There was no statistically significant difference between the type of anesthesia and the incidence and severity of acute post-operative pain. Despite its limitations, this study confirms the low incidence of chronic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome in children.

ESP-block in thoracic surgery: a case report

This report presents a clinical case of combined anesthesia in a patient with videothoracoscopic atypical resection of the right lung. In the operating room, the patient underwent ultrasound-assisted blockade in the plane of the m. erector spinae (ESP block) using 20 mL of 0.375% levobupivacaine solution, after which general anesthesia was induced. Opioid consumption per surgery was 0.3 mg of fentanyl. In the postoperative period, high-quality multimodal pain relief was achieved without the use of opioids. Within 7 h after the operation, the patient could actively expectorate with minimal discomfort. The article demonstrates the possibility of the effective application of the ESP block to reduce the risk of respiratory complications during lung surgery and to prevent the development of neuropathic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome.

Ketamine for the Treatment of Chronic Pain: A Comprehensive Review.

Chronic pain significantly worsens the quality of life. Unlike neuropathic, musculoskeletal, postoperative pain, and cancer pain, chronic primary pain cannot be explained by an underlying disease or condition, making its treatment arduous. This manuscript intends to provide a comprehensive review of the use of ketamine as a treatment option for specific chronic pain conditions. A review article. A review of the literature. A search was done on PubMed for relevant articles. A comprehensive review of the current understanding of chronic pain and the treatment of specific chronic pain conditions with ketamine. Literature is scarce regarding the use of ketamine for the treatment of chronic pain. First-line treatment for many chronic pain conditions includes NSAIDs, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioids. However, these treatment methods are unsuccessful in a subset of patients. Ketamine has been explored in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as an alternative treatment option, and it has been demonstrated to improve pain symptoms, patient satisfaction, and quality of life. Conditions highlighted in this review include neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), phantom limb pain (PLP), cancer pain, and post-thoracotomy pain syndrome. This review will discuss conditions, such as neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, and more and ketamine's efficacy and its supplementary benefits in the chronic pain patient population. As the opioid crisis in the United States continues to persist, this review aims to understand better multimodal analgesia, which can improve how chronic pain is managed.

Impact of regional analgesia techniques on the long-term clinical outcomes following thoracic surgery.

Continuous monitoring of clinical outcomes after thoracotomy is very important to improve medical services and to reduce complications. The use of regional analgesia techniques for thoracotomy offers several advantages in the perioperative period including effective pain control, reduced opioid consumption and associated side effects, enhanced recovery, and improved patient satisfaction. Postthoracotomy complications, such as chronic postthoracotomy pain syndrome, postthoracotomy ipsilateral shoulder pain, pulmonary complications, recurrence, and unplanned admission to the intensive care unit are frequent and may be associated with poor outcomes and mortality. The role of regional techniques to reduce the incidence of these complications is questionable. This narrative review aims to investigate the impact of regional analgesia on the long-term clinical outcomes after thoracotomy.

Efficacy of intercostal cryoneurolysis as an analgesic adjunct for chest wall pain after surgery or trauma: systematic review

BackgroundThere is a critical need for non-narcotic analgesic adjuncts in the treatment of thoracic pain. We evaluated the efficacy of intercostal cryoneurolysis as an analgesic adjunct for chest wall pain,...