An interventional study of Ultrasound-guided Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block and Ropivacaine-Poloxamer 407 Hydrogel (Welpass®) in Gastric Cancer and Postoperative Pain, sponsored by Gyeong-Jo Byeon, MD, PhD. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in South Korea. Open to participants aged 19 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-05.
Sponsored by Gyeong-Jo Byeon, MD, PhD · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study is a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial designed to compare two established postoperative analgesic strategies in adult patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy under general anesthesia.
Effective pain control after laparoscopic gastrectomy is essential to promote early recovery, facilitate ambulation, reduce opioid consumption, and improve overall postoperative outcomes. Although minimally invasive techniques reduce surgical trauma, patients frequently experience moderate postoperative pain arising from abdominal wall incisions and trocar insertion sites.
This trial compares two analgesic approaches:
Ultrasound-guided bilateral transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block using 0.2% ropivacaine
Local application of a thermosensitive ropivacaine-poloxamer 407 hydrogel formulation (Welpass®) applied to the surgical site at the end of surgery
A total of 80 patients (age ≥19 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-III) scheduled for elective laparoscopic gastrectomy will be enrolled at a single institution. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the TAP block group (n=40) or the hydrogel group (n=40).
In the TAP block group, 0.2% ropivacaine will be injected bilaterally between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles under ultrasound guidance at the completion of surgery.
In the hydrogel group, a mixture of ropivacaine and poloxamer 407-based gel (Welpass®) will be prepared and applied locally to the surgical site, including the fascial plane and subcutaneous tissue, prior to wound closure.
All patients will receive standardized general anesthesia and postoperative patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) according to institutional protocols.
The primary objective of the study is to compare postoperative pain intensity between the two groups. Pain will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) immediately upon arrival in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), just before PACU discharge, and at 12 and 24 hours after surgery.
Secondary outcomes include:
Safety will be evaluated by monitoring adverse events, including signs of local anesthetic systemic toxicity or other serious complications. Both analgesic techniques involve medications and procedures that are widely used in routine clinical practice. The study uses approved drugs within standard dosing ranges and is conducted by experienced clinicians. If a serious adverse event suspected to be related to the intervention occurs, appropriate medical management will be provided immediately, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be notified in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Participants may be withdrawn from the study if they experience a serious adverse reaction related to the intervention, if conversion to open surgery occurs, or if they choose to withdraw consent.
The aim of this study is to determine whether local application of sustained-release ropivacaine hydrogel provides analgesic efficacy comparable or superior to ultrasound-guided TAP block. The findings may help identify an effective and safe postoperative pain management strategy for patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy and contribute to optimizing multimodal analgesia protocols in minimally invasive gastric surgery.
2,851 studies on the registry are indexed under Stomach Neoplasms; 864 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 80 is above the median of 67 across 2,096 interventional studies indexed under Stomach Neoplasms.
Browse Stomach Neoplasms studies →This is the only study on the registry with Gyeong-Jo Byeon, MD, PhD as lead sponsor.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants receive bilateral ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block with 0.2% ropivacaine at the completion of laparoscopic gastrectomy. Standardized general anesthesia and postoperative patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) are provided
Procedure: Ultrasound-guided Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block
Participants receive local application of ropivacaine-poloxamer 407 thermosensitive hydrogel (Welpass®) at the surgical site following laparoscopic gastrectomy. Standardized general anesthesia and postoperative PCA are provided
Drug: Ropivacaine-Poloxamer 407 Hydrogel (Welpass®)
Bilateral ultrasound-guided injection of 0.2% ropivacaine between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles at the end of surgery
Local application of a thermosensitive hydrogel containing ropivacaine and poloxamer 407 to the fascial and subcutaneous layers at the surgical site prior to wound closure
Postoperative Pain Intensity
Postoperative pain intensity measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS, 0-10) immediately upon arrival in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and just before PACU discharge. The VAS ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Mean pain scores will be compared between the two groups
Time frame: postoperative period(immediately upon arrival in PACU, at PACU discharge, 12,24 hours after surgery)
Total Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Consumption
Total cumulative dose of intravenous patient-controlled analgesia administered during the first 48 hours after surgery.
Time frame: 48 hours postoperatively
Total Rescue Analgesic Dose
Total cumulative dose of additional rescue analgesics administered within 48 hours after surgery.
Time frame: 48 hours postoperatively
Number of Rescue Analgesic Administrations
Total number of additional rescue analgesic administrations within 48 hours after surgery.
Time frame: 48 hours postoperatively
Number of PONV Episodes
Total number of postoperative nausea and vomiting episodes occurring within 48 hours after surgery.
Time frame: 48 hours postoperatively
Time to First Flatus
Time from the end of surgery to the first passage of flatus, measured in hours.
Time frame: From the end of surgery until the first documented passage of flatus, assessed up to 7 days postoperatively
Time to First Ambulation
Time from the end of surgery to first ambulation, measured in hours.
Time frame: From end of surgery to first ambulation, assessed up to 7 postoperative days
Length of Postoperative Hospital Stay
Duration of hospitalization from the date of surgery to the date of discharge, measured in days.
Time frame: From date of surgery to date of discharge, assessed up to 30 days postoperatively
Plan to share: Undecided — Individual participant data will not be shared due to institutional policies and restrictions outlined in the informed consent process. The study is a single-center clinical trial, and no plans for public data repository submission have been established
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Feb 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.