Analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block during extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy

Abstract

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) is widely used for the treatment of urinary tract calculi; however, the vast majority of the patients does not tolerate the procedure without analgesia and sedation. Pain control in ESWL has been crucial for process success and patient comfort. Systemic drugs, such as non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, alfa-2 agonist and various local and regional anesthesia methods (transversus abdominis plane block, paravertebral block, infiltration) have been applied to control ESWL pain. Quadratus lumborum block (QLB) is performed as one of the regional anesthetic techniques for abdominal surgery. This block provides anesthesia and analgesia on the anterior and lateral wall of the abdomen. In this report, we presented the analgesic efficacy of QLB in 15 patients, which included nine renal and six ureter stones for ESWL. The mean of the VAS scores ranged from 0.20±0.41 to 2.73±1.22, and mean fentanyl consumption was 15.00±15.08 mcg during the procedure. No opioid-related side effects were observed in any of the patients. Full fragmentation was obtained in nine of the 15 patients, and partial fragmentation was obtained in five patients.