Efficacy and Safety of Erector Spinae Plane Block for Perioperative Pain Management in Lumbar Spinal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Since the application of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) in 2016, the approach has been gradually applied to perioperative analgesia in various surgeries. In recent years, more and more studies have focused on the effect of ESPB in perioperative analgesia of lumbar spinal surgery, but its clinical effect remains controversial. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to explore the efficacy and safety of ESPB used for perioperative pain management in lumbar spinal surgery. Methods: The Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were comprehensively searched for relevant articles from inception to March 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ESPB with placebo or without ESPB in lumbar spinal surgery were included. The Review Manager 5.3 software was employed for this meta-analysis. Results: Nineteen RCTs with 1381 participants were included for final analysis. ESPB group exhibited lower intraoperative consumption of sufentanil and remifentanil, lower total opioid consumption within 24 h and 48 h after surgery, lower incidence of rescue analgesia, longer time to first rescue analgesic and lower number of PCA button presses compared to the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the ESPB group had significantly lower pain scores at rest and on movement within 48 h after surgery compared with the control group (P<0.05). In terms of opioid-related adverse reactions, ESPB reduced the incidence of postoperative nausea, vomitting, somnolence and itching in comparison to the control group (P<0.05). ESPB-related serious complications were not reported in included studies. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrated that ESPB used in lumbar spinal surgery was effective in relieving postoperative pain, decreasing the perioperative consumption of opioids, as well as decreasing the incidence of postoperative opioid-related adverse reactions.