Article Text
Abstract
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Background and Aims The SpineJack® system uses titanium implants to re-expand broken vertebrae. Locoregional techniques are of particular interest in these interventions. This study aims to investigate whether erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is superior to blind infiltration of local anesthetic in pain control following kyphoplasty with the Spine-Jack system.
Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of 12 patients who underwent Spine-Jack type kyphoplasty during 2024 at our center. The primary objective was the reduction of VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) values after intervention in patients with ESPB. Other objectives included dose of postoperative rescue morphine, incidence of clinically significant adverse events, and procedure duration.
Results Of the 12 patients, 4 were performed with sedation and blind infiltration of local anesthetic (Group A), and the rest received ESPB prior to surgical incision (Group B). Poorer post-intervention pain control was described in Group A, with VAS ≥ 6 in 3 of the 4 patients (p<0.01). A lower dose of rescue morphine was noted in Group B, although this result was not significant (p 0.6). Surprisingly, the procedure was shorter in Group B (p 0.5), without differences in other clinically significant adverse events.
Conclusions ESPB appears to be a safe and effective technique for improving pain control in kyphoplasties. However, given the small group of patients recruited, some of the results were not significant. Based on this descriptive pilot study, we will propose a prospective analytical study to confirm the technique’s efficacy.