An interventional study of Ultrasound guided penile block and Neurostimulation guided pudendal block in Postoperative Care, Analgesia Assessment and Posthectomy, sponsored by University Hospital, Caen. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to male participants aged 12 Weeks to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-25.
Sponsored by University Hospital, Caen · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Context : Posthectomy is a surgical procedure that concerns around 30% of the male population, mainly in pediatrics. As this procedure is mainly performed on an outpatient basis, the implementation of an enhanced rehabilitation protocol after surgery in pediatrics helps to reduce the incidence of postoperative pain, notably by providing multimodal analgesia, including locoregional anesthesia. Current recommendations from pediatric locoregional anesthesia societies favor penile block and the use of ultrasound in pediatric anesthesia to reduce anesthetic set-up time and the volume of local anesthetic, but also to increase the duration of sensory block and the success rate. However, several studies have shown the inferiority of penile block in anatomical landmarks compared with pudendal block under neurostimulation. As a result, pediatric anesthesiologists at Caen University Hospital prefer to use pudendal blocks under neurostimulation for posthectomy surgery. To date, no study has compared penile block under ultrasound with pudendal block under neurostimulation for postoperative analgesia after posthectomy surgery. On the other hand, a study of postoperative analgesia in hypospadias surgery showed a clear superiority of penile block under ultrasound over pudendal block in terms of both immediate postoperative pain and duration of postoperative analgesia. It therefore seems pertinent to compare these two techniques in posthectomy surgery.
Objective: We propose a prospective, open-label, non-inferiority study with the primary objective of comparing the efficacy of echo-guided penile block versus pudendal block in neurostimulation for posthectomy surgery.
Methods: This randomized, single-center study will include 240 patients divided into two groups. The experimental group will receive optimized medical and surgical management, with a penile block under ultrasound, while the control group will receive a pudendal block under neurostimulation. The planned duration of the study is 3 years.
Hypothesis tested: We hypothesize that ultrasound-guided penile block is non-inferior to neurostimulated pudendal block for postoperative analgesia in scheduled posthectomy surgery. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the time taken to perform the block, the volume of local anesthetic used, the need for sufentanil reinjection intraoperatively, the quantitative evaluation of analgesia using the EVENDOL score, the consumption of nalbuphine in the post anesthesia care unit, the occurrence of postoperative vomiting, and the length of stay in the post anesthesia care unit. The rate of complications related to the performance of locoregional anesthesia is also observed.
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The penile block is performed supine. After skin disinfection, the Buck's fascia is sonographically located, and the local anesthetic is injected close to the dorsal nerve of the penis in the plane after a negative aspiration test. The recommended dose is 0.1 ml/kg per side of ropivacaine 2 mg/ml. Injection is performed bilaterally. A subcutaneous injection of 1ml ropivacaine 2mg/ml is made at the base of the penis to ensure blockage of the perineal fibers.
Procedure: Ultrasound guided penile block
The pudendal block is performed in the supine position, with the legs flexed. After skin disinfection and palpation of the ischial tuberosity, the neurostimulator needle, set at 0.5 mA, is inserted 1 cm medial to the tuberosity. Contraction of the anal sphincter enables the proximity of the pudendal nerve, originating from the S2, S3 and S4 nerve roots, to be identified. Once contraction has been obtained, local anaesthetic is injected using ropivacaine 2 mg/ml at a dose of 0.2 ml/kg per side, in the absence of blood reflux.
Procedure: Neurostimulation guided pudendal block
The penile block is performed supine. After skin disinfection, the Buck's fascia is sonographically located, and the local anesthetic is injected close to the dorsal nerve of the penis in the plane after a negative aspiration test (16). The recommended dose is 0.1 ml/kg per side of ropivacaine 2 mg/ml (8). Injection is performed bilaterally. A subcutaneous injection of 1ml ropivacaine 2mg/ml (i.e. 2mg) is made at the base of the penis to ensure blockage of the perineal fibers.
The pudendal block is performed in the supine position, with the legs flexed. After skin disinfection and palpation of the ischial tuberosity, the neurostimulator needle, set at 0.5 mA, is inserted 1 cm medial to the tuberosity. Contraction of the anal sphincter enables the proximity of the pudendal nerve, originating from the S2, S3 and S4 roots, to be identified. Once contraction has been obtained, local anaesthetic is injected using ropivacaine 2 mg/ml at a dose of 0.2 ml/kg per side, in the absence of blood reflux.
Failure of effective postoperative analgesia
It is defined by intense postoperative pain: an EVENDOL score ≥ 4 or the use of nalbuphine (0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg discontinuous) in the post anesthesia care unit "EVENDOL" is a French scale, which is an acronym of "EValuation ENfant DOuleur" or "Child pain assessment". This scale goes from 0 to 15, 0 is the absence of pain and 15 is the maximum pain. 4/15 is the threshold from which treatment is indicated.
Time frame: Perioperative period : From anesthetic induction to discharge from the post- anesthesia care unit (12 hours maximum)
Locoregional anesthesia completion time
In seconds, defined as the time between the end of skin disinfection and removal of the locoregional anesthesia needle.
Time frame: Peroperative period : From the end of skin disinfection to the removal of the locoregional anesthesia needle, assessed up to 30 minutes
Volume of local anesthetic injected
Volume of local anesthetic injected (in mL/kg/side)
Time frame: Peroperative period : From skin disinfection to removal of the ALR needle, assessed up to 30 minutes
Intraoperative block failure rate
Block failure is defined by the need to reinject sufentanil intraoperatively when systolic blood pressure or heart rate increases by more than 20% compared with the pre-incision heart rate, necessitating the consumption of intraoperative morphine.
Time frame: Peroperative period : From the beginning to the end of the surgery, assessed up to 2 hours
Quantitative assessment of postoperative pain
Quantitative assessment of postoperative pain using the EVENDOL score on arrival in the ICU, H+20 minutes, H+40 minutes and discharge from the post anesthesia care unit. As a reminder, EVENDOL" is a French scale, which is an acronym of "EValuation ENfant DOuleur" or "Child pain assessment". This scale goes from 0 to 15, 0 is the absence of pain and 15 is the maximum pain. 4/15 is the threshold from which treatment is indicated.
Time frame: Immediate post operative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hours
Nalbuphine consumption
Nalbuphine consumption in the post anesthesia care unit (in mg/kg)
Time frame: Immediate postoperative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hours
Post operative vomiting
Post operative vomiting and cosumption of ondansetron
Time frame: Immediate post operative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hours
Length of stay in post anesthesia care unit
In minutes
Time frame: Immediate postoperative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hours
Adverse events related to local anesthesia
Signs of local anesthetic intoxication (neurological signs such as tinnitus, logorrhea or convulsion; tachycardia, hypotension), bleeding and hematoma at puncture site.
Time frame: Perioperative period : From the completion of local anesthesia to the discharge from post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 6 hours
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University Hospital, Caen