ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06653803Updated Sep 21, 2026

Rhomboid Intercostal Block Versus Retrolaminar Block for Postoperative Analgesia After Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy

An interventional study of Rhomboid Intercostal Block (RIB) and Retrolaminar Block (RLB) in Post Operative Pain, sponsored by Damanhour Teaching Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-21.

Sponsored by Damanhour Teaching Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Aug 2026; still recruiting 3 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Background: Although thoracoscopic sympathectomy is made via small incisions, it is associated with severe postoperative pain. Both Rhomboid intercostal block (RIB) and Retrolaminar block (RLB) are recent techniques used for pain control after such procedures

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of RIB and RLB in providing postoperative analgesia after thoracoscopic sympathectomy in adult patients and their impact on the patient's outcomes.

Patients and Methods: This prospective, randomized (1:1), double-blind clinical trial; will be carried out on 60 patients scheduled for elective thoracoscopic sympathectomy under general anesthesia at our hospital. Patients will be randomly allocated into two equal groups (30 patients each) and will receive: in group A; general anesthesia with intraoperative ipsilateral ultrasound-guided RIB, whereas in group B; general anesthesia with intraoperative ipsilateral ultrasound-guided RLB.

02

Conditions studied

  • Post Operative Pain

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Keywords

  • Rhomboid Intercostal Block
  • Retrolaminar Block
  • Regional Analgesia
03

In context

Pain, Postoperative

5,640 studies on the registry are indexed under Pain, Postoperative; 1,230 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 75 across 4,821 interventional studies indexed under Pain, Postoperative.

Browse Pain, Postoperative studies →

Lead sponsor

Damanhour Teaching Hospital is the lead sponsor of 14 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • (ASA) physical status ≤ II
  • Age from 18 to 60 years
  • (BMI) \< 35 kg/m²

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • (ASA) physical status > II
  • Age \< 18 years or > 60 years
  • (BMI) ≥ 35
  • Local infection at the puncture site
  • Altered mental status
  • Pregnant women
  • Allergy to study drugs
  • Chronic pain
  • Coagulation abnormalities or on anticoagulants
  • Severe hepatic or kidney disease
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

ASA physical status

The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Group A (n=30)

    Rhomboid Intercostal Block

    Procedure: Rhomboid Intercostal Block (RIB)

  • Active comparator
    Group B (n=30)

    Retrolaminar Block

    Procedure: Retrolaminar Block (RLB)

Interventions

  • ProcedureRhomboid Intercostal Block (RIB)

    Intraoperative Ipsilateral Ultrasound-guided RIB

  • ProcedureRetrolaminar Block (RLB)

    Intraoperative Ipsilateral Ultrasound-guided RLB

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Mean and Standard deviation of time to the first request of postoperative rescue analgesic (minutes) (mean±SD)

    The time interval between the block performance and the first request of postoperative analgesia

    Time frame: 24 hours after the end of surgery

Secondary outcomes

  1. Mean and Standard deviation of Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) score (mean±SD)

    NPRS measures the severity of postoperative pain, it is a 11 point scale from 0-10; where 0=No pain and 10=Worst possible pain (At PACU, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 18h, 24h) after the end of surgery

    Time frame: 24 hours after the end of surgery

  2. Mean and Standard deviation of the total dose of the rescue analgesic consumed (milligrams) (mean±SD)

    The total dose of the rescue analgesic consumed in the first 24 hours after the end of surgery

    Time frame: 24 hours after the end of surgery

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 21, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06653803
Lead sponsor
Damanhour Teaching Hospital
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 22, 2024
Start date
Aug 1, 2026
Primary completion
Jan 1, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 30, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 21, 2026

Study contacts

Ahmed M Shaat, MD
Contact
ahmedshaat99@gmail.com
00201223482709
Ahmed M Shaat, MD
principal investigator · Damanhour Teaching Hospital

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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