An interventional study of Ultrasound-Guided Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block and Ultrasound-Guided Pectoral Nerve Block Type II in Postoperative Pain, Breast Cancer and Persistent Postsurgical Pain, sponsored by Bursa City Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-10.
Sponsored by Bursa City Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
This study compares two ultrasound-guided nerve block techniques for pain control after mastectomy for breast cancer: the pectoral nerve block (PECS II) and the serratus posterior superior intercostal plane (SPSIP) block. Both techniques involve injecting local anesthetic near nerves supplying the surgical area.
The study will include 78 adults aged 18 to 85 years undergoing elective mastectomy under general anesthesia. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two blocks before surgery. Both groups will receive postoperative pain treatment, including a patient-controlled device that delivers tramadol when needed.
The main aim is to compare postoperative opioid consumption. The study will also assess pain at rest and during movement, the need for additional pain medication, side effects, recovery quality, and persistent pain. Pain scores and tramadol consumption will be recorded at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours after surgery. Recovery quality will be assessed at 24 hours, and persistent pain will be assessed by telephone at 3 months.
This prospective, randomized study will be conducted at Bursa City Hospital in adults undergoing elective mastectomy for breast cancer. Participants will be assigned to an ultrasound-guided serratus posterior superior intercostal plane (SPSIP) block or a pectoral nerve block (PECS II) using a computer-generated randomization sequence.
Both blocks will be performed before induction of general anesthesia. The SPSIP group will receive 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine in the fascial plane between the serratus posterior superior and intercostal muscles at the third rib. The PECS II group will receive 10 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine between the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles and 20 mL between the pectoralis minor and serratus anterior muscles.
General anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia will be standardized. On arrival in the recovery room, participants will receive intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with tramadol at a concentration of 5 mg/mL, a bolus dose of 10 mg, a lockout interval of 20 minutes, and no basal infusion. Intravenous meperidine at 0.5 mg/kg will be administered as rescue analgesia when the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score is 4 or higher.
Postoperative pain and opioid consumption will be assessed by an anesthesiologist who is unaware of group allocation. The clinician performing the block will know the assigned technique and will not collect postoperative outcome data.
NRS scores at rest and during movement will be recorded at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours after surgery. The scale ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst pain imaginable). Tramadol consumption will be recorded at the same time points. Rescue analgesic requirements, time to first rescue analgesia, time to first postoperative mobilization, length of hospital stay, adverse effects, and block-related complications will also be recorded.
Quality of recovery will be assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire at 24 hours after surgery. Postoperative nausea and vomiting will be monitored during the first 24 hours. Persistent postoperative pain will be assessed at 3 months using the McGill Pain Questionnaire during a telephone interview conducted with prior participant consent.
5,640 studies on the registry are indexed under Pain, Postoperative; 1,230 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 78 is close to the median of 75 across 4,821 interventional studies indexed under Pain, Postoperative.
Browse Pain, Postoperative studies →Bursa City Hospital is the lead sponsor of 71 studies on the registry; 31 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
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.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will receive an ultrasound-guided SPSIP block on the surgical side before induction of general anesthesia. With the participant seated, 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine will be injected into the fascial plane between the serratus posterior superior and intercostal muscles at the third rib. Participants will also receive standardized general anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia, including patient-controlled intravenous tramadol and rescue analgesia when required.
Other: Ultrasound-Guided Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block
Participants will receive an ultrasound-guided PECS II block on the surgical side before induction of general anesthesia. With the participant supine, 10 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine will be injected between the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles, followed by 20 mL between the pectoralis minor and serratus anterior muscles. Participants will also receive standardized general anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia, including patient-controlled intravenous tramadol and rescue analgesia when required.
Other: Ultrasound-Guided Pectoral Nerve Block Type II
A single ultrasound-guided block will be performed on the surgical side before induction of general anesthesia. With the participant seated and the hand on the opposite shoulder, a high-frequency linear ultrasound probe will be positioned along the medial scapular border to identify the third rib and serratus posterior superior muscle. A 50-mm block needle will be advanced in-plane in a caudal-to-cranial direction. After confirming the plane with 5 mL of saline, 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine will be injected between the serratus posterior superior and intercostal muscles.
Also known as: SPSIP Block
A single ultrasound-guided PECS II block will be performed on the surgical side before induction of general anesthesia, with the participant supine. A high-frequency linear ultrasound probe will be used to identify the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and serratus anterior muscles. A 50-mm block needle will be advanced using an in-plane approach. After confirming each injection plane with 5 mL of saline, 10 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine will be injected between pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, followed by 20 mL of the same solution between pectoralis minor and serratus anterior.
Also known as: PECS II Block
Postoperative Opioid Consumption
Postoperative opioid consumption will be compared between the groups. Tramadol consumption administered through intravenous patient-controlled analgesia will be recorded in milligrams at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours postoperatively. The total dose of rescue meperidine will be recorded separately.
Time frame: First 24 hours postoperatively, with recordings at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours.
Pain Intensity at Rest
Pain intensity at rest will be assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst pain imaginable). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Time frame: At 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours postoperatively.
Pain Intensity During Movement
Pain intensity during movement will be assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst pain imaginable). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Time frame: At 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours postoperatively.
Total Rescue Analgesic Dose
The total dose of intravenous meperidine administered as rescue analgesia will be recorded in milligrams. Meperidine at 0.5 mg/kg will be administered when the Numeric Rating Scale score is 4 or higher.
Time frame: During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
Time to First Rescue Analgesia
The time of the first postoperative administration of rescue analgesia will be recorded. Intravenous meperidine at 0.5 mg/kg will be administered when the Numeric Rating Scale score is 4 or higher.
Time frame: During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
Quality of Recovery-15 Score
Quality of postoperative recovery will be assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire. The questionnaire contains 15 items, with a total score ranging from 0 to 150. Higher scores indicate better quality of recovery.
Time frame: At 24 hours postoperatively.
Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Postoperative nausea and vomiting will be assessed using a four-category scale: 1 = no nausea or vomiting; 2 = nausea without vomiting; 3 = one episode of vomiting or persistent nausea; and 4 = two or more episodes of vomiting or severe/persistent retching. Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms.
Time frame: During the first 24 hours postoperatively.
Persistent Postoperative Pain Assessed Using the McGill Pain Questionnaire
Persistent postoperative pain will be assessed using the McGill Pain Questionnaire during a telephone interview at 3 months after surgery. Participants will provide prior consent for telephone follow-up.
Time frame: At 3 months postoperatively.
Started Nov 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jun 2027, 7 months after the start.
Of 2,089 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Pain, Postoperative, half reached primary completion within 11 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 23. This study's planned 7 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 2,102 studies reached it within 11 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 23.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Bursa City Hospital