An interventional study of Erector Spinae Plane Block and Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Cholelithiasis, Postoperative Pain, Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, sponsored by Gaziantep City Hospital. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-22.
Sponsored by Gaziantep City Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This prospective, randomized, double-blind study compares the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane (ESP) block and subcostal transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The primary outcome is 24-hour postoperative opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes include postoperative pain scores, time to first analgesic request, shoulder pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and block-related complications.
Postoperative pain remains a significant clinical concern after laparoscopic cholecystectomy despite the minimally invasive nature of the procedure. Inadequate analgesia may delay recovery, increase opioid consumption, and negatively affect patient satisfaction. Regional anesthesia techniques are increasingly incorporated into multimodal analgesia protocols to improve postoperative outcomes and reduce opioid requirements.
The erector spinae plane (ESP) block and the subcostal transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block are ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks commonly used for abdominal surgery. While both techniques have demonstrated analgesic benefits, their comparative effectiveness in laparoscopic cholecystectomy remains uncertain. In particular, differences in visceral pain control, opioid-sparing effect, and shoulder pain incidence require further investigation.
This study is designed as a prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, clinical trial conducted at two tertiary care hospitals in Turkey. Eligible adult patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia will be randomly assigned to receive either bilateral ESP block or bilateral subcostal TAP block after induction of anesthesia. Standardized anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia protocols will be applied in both groups to ensure comparability between centers.
The primary outcome measure is total opioid consumption within the first 24 postoperative hours, expressed as morphine equivalent dose. Secondary outcome measures include postoperative pain scores assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), time to first analgesic request, incidence of shoulder pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and block-related complications.
Randomization will be performed using a computer-generated sequence, with allocation concealment ensured. Patients and postoperative outcome assessors will be blinded to group assignment. Data will be prospectively recorded and analyzed according to a predefined statistical analysis plan.
The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence-based guidance for optimizing regional analgesia strategies in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
189 studies on the registry are indexed under Cholelithiasis; 42 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 100 is above the median of 90 across 135 interventional studies indexed under Cholelithiasis.
Browse Cholelithiasis studies →Gaziantep City Hospital is the lead sponsor of 21 studies on the registry; 14 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Inclusion Criteria:
Adults aged 18 years and older
Scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia
(ASA) physical status I-III
Ability to understand the study protocol and provide written -
Exclusion Criteria:Refusal to participate
Known allergy or to local anesthetic agents
Coagulopathy or anticoagulant therapy contraindicating regional anesthesia
Infection at the planned injection site
(BMI) > 35 kg/m²
Chronic opioid use or opioid dependence
Chronic pain syndromes requiring regular analgesic treatment
Severe hepatic, renal, or cardiac dysfunction
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Inability to communicate or assess pain using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)
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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.
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.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients in this arm will receive ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block following induction of general anesthesia. A standardized volume and concentration of local anesthetic will be administered at the appropriate thoracic level. All patients will receive standardized intraoperative anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia.
Procedure: Erector Spinae Plane Block
Patients in this arm will receive ultrasound-guided bilateral subcostal transversus abdominis plane block following induction of general anesthesia. A standardized volume and concentration of local anesthetic will be administered. All patients will receive standardized intraoperative anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia.
Procedure: Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane Block
Ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block will be performed after induction of general anesthesia. The block will be administered at the appropriate thoracic vertebral level using a standardized volume and concentration of local anesthetic deposited in the fascial plane deep to the erector spinae muscle. The procedure will be performed by experienced anesthesiologists under sterile conditions.
Ultrasound-guided bilateral subcostal transversus abdominis plane block will be performed after induction of general anesthesia. A standardized volume and concentration of local anesthetic will be injected into the fascial plane between the rectus abdominis and transversus abdominis muscles along the subcostal margin. The procedure will be performed by experienced anesthesiologists under sterile conditions.
Total Opioid Consumption in the First 24 Hours Postoperatively
Total opioid consumption during the first 24 postoperative hours, converted to intravenous morphine equivalent dose (mg), recorded from patient-controlled analgesia devices and supplemental opioid administration.
Time frame: Within 24 hours after surgery
Plan to share: No
Start is estimated for Jun 2027; primary completion for Sep 2027, 2 months later.
Of 54 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Cholelithiasis, half reached primary completion within 17 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 27. This study's planned 2 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 58 studies reached it within 15 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 24.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Gaziantep City Hospital