Erector spinae plane block for inguinal hernia repair in children

The most commonly performed inguinal surgeries in children include inguinal hernia repair with or without orchidopexy. Control of post-operative pain is important in pediatric patients because poor pain control may result in increased morbidity or mortality. Regional anesthesia produces excellent post-operative analgesia and attenuation of the stress responses in infants and children. For postoperative pain with these surgeries, a regional analgesic modality such as caudal analgesia, inguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block, or local infiltration is combined with a general anesthetic. The erector spinae plane block is a newly defined regional anesthesia technique for thoracic analgesia. Its use for other indications, such as abdominal and thoracic surgery, has also recently been reported. Recent case studies have reported the use of ESP block for postoperative analgesia in pediatric thoracic and abdominal procedures. The purpose of this randomized, controlled prospective study is to evaluate the analgesic effect of US-guided ESP block in children undergoing elective unilateral inguinal hernia in comparison to the well-established caudal block.