Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Elective Lumbar Fusion Operations Under General Anesthesia

It was proven that intrathecal opioids are considered as an effective means of pain control in several major surgical interventions including spine surgeries. Intrathecal morphine added to a spinal anesthesia reduces acute pain after spine surgeries but has side effects, including dose dependent respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, pruritus, and sedation. Ultrasound guided Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) was first described in 2016.Recent case reports suggest a positive effect of ultrasound guided ESPB on pain for multiple indications including lumbar spine fusion and scoliosis surgery, with a very low risk of complications as there are no structures in close proximity at risk of needle injury.