Erector Spine Plane (ESP) Block for Analgesia in Pediatric Scoliosis Surgery

Erector Spine Plane (ESP) Block for Analgesia in Pediatric Scoliosis Surgery

Postoperative pain after scoliosis correction surgery is severe and usually requires long-term intravenous opioid therapy. Local anesthetic options are limited and include intrathecal opioids and epidural analgesia. However, they are rarely used due to side effects and inconsistent efficacy. The investigators describe an opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia regimen with bilateral erector spinae plane blocks.

Posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis correction is extremely painful and usually requires long-term, high-dose opioid use for adequate perioperative analgesia. Neuromonitoring, i.e., motor-evoked and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEPs), are the current gold standard for preventing neurological damage. Local anesthesia is essential to multimodal analgesia, but options are limited. Intrathecal or epidural opioid injections of local anesthetics have been reported but are rarely used due to logistical complexity, side effects, and inconsistent analgesic efficacy. The erector spinae plane (ESP) block was first described in 2016 for thoracic neuropathic pain. It is a new interfacial plane technique. Easy to perform on patients without spinal deformities. It was successfully used for surgery in adults. However, even with ultrasound guidance, identifying bone markers in scoliosis patients is challenging. The investigators will treat patients for scoliosis with single-shot bilateral ESP blocks. The investigators aim to provide effective perioperative pain control and achieve intraoperative hemodynamic stability without compromising neuromonitoring.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients < 18 years old undergoing scoliosis surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

• refusal to participate
• > 18 yo
• Chronic opioid use
• localized infection