Erector spinae plane block with catheter for management of percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A three case report

Introduction: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a procedure used for management of refractory renal calculi. Oral and parenteral opioids, along with local anesthetic infiltration, neuraxial anesthesia, and paravertebral blocks are the most common methods of managing intra-operative and post-operative pain for these patients. The erector spinae plane block with catheter (ESPC) is a newer interfascial regional anesthetic technique that can be used to manage peri-operative pain in these patients.

Clinical findings: Three patients complained of significant flank pain were scheduled for percutaneous nephrolithotomy under general anesthesia in the prone position.

Diagnoses: Patients were diagnosed with large renal calculi.

Therapeutic interventions: Patients received ESPC in the pre-operative holding area at the level of the T7 transverse process. The ESPCS were bolused with a solution of 30 mL 0.25% bupivacaine with 4 mg dexamethasone prior to surgery. Patients also received oral tramadol 50 mg and acetaminophen 1 g as part of the multimodal pain protocol prior to surgery. After the procedure, the patients were bolused with 0.25% bupivacaine or started on an infusion of 0.25% bupivacaine to manage their pain.

Outcomes: No opioid or other pain medications, other than the local anesthetic solution given in the ESPCs, were used during the intra-operative or post-operative period for management of pain in these patients. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were below 4 for all patients in the post-operative period, and patients did not report any issues with post-operative nausea or vomiting.

Conclusion: These patients were compared to 3 prior patients who had undergone percutaneous nephrolithotomy without ESPC. The 3 patients without ESPC placement reported increased VAS scores, had increased opioid/pain medication consumption intraoperatively and postoperatively, and had increased incidence of perioperative nausea when compared to our ESPC patients. Our report shows that ESPC, in combination with a multimodal pain protocol, can be a good option for management of patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy.