SPS Block vs. Surgical Intercostal Block for Chronic Pain After Thoracoscopic Surgery

Summary

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided Serratus Posterior Superior (SPS) block compared to surgeon-administered intercostal blockade in preventing chronic pain at 3, 6, and 12 months following Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS).

Timeline

Start

2026-03-01

Primary completion

2026-11-20

Completion

2026-12-10

Publications

• Background Ciftci B, Alver S, Ahiskalioglu A, Bilal B, Tulgar S. Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block: novel thoracic paraspinal block for thoracoscopic and shoulder surgery. Minerva Anestesiol. 2024 Apr;90(4):345-347. doi: 10.23736/S0375-9393.23.17827-8. Epub 2024 Jan 19. No abstract available.
• Background Dogan G, Kucuk O, Kayir S, Dal GC, Ciftci B, Zengin M, Alagoz A. Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block versus thoracic paravertebral block for pain management after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a randomized prospective study. Braz J Anesthesiol. 2025 Sep-Oct;75(5):844647. doi: 10.1016/j.bjane.2025.844647. Epub 2025 Jun 3.
• Background Cevikkalp E, Ulusoy E, Karakaya M, Ekinci M, Dikici M. Serratus posterior superior intercostal block as a component of multimodal analgesia in thoracotomy. Minerva Anestesiol. 2026 Mar;92(3):239-241. doi: 10.23736/S0375-9393.25.19490-X. Epub 2026 Jan 27. No abstract available.
• Background Ozen V, Turan EI, Alver S, Sahin AS, Ciftci B. Combination of Fascial Plane Blocks Including Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block for Pediatric Thoracic Analgesia: Two Case Reports. A A Pract. 2026 Jan 14;20(1):e02144. doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000002144. eCollection 2026 Jan 1.

Drugs

Indications