EXORA vs ESP Blocks in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Overview

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is still considered the gold standard for the surgical management of gallbladder disease due to its minimally invasive nature, shorter recovery time, and reduced postoperative complications. Despite these advantages, patients frequently experience moderate to severe postoperative pain, particularly in the early postoperative period, which can impede recovery, delay mobilization, and increase opioid consumption. Excessive opioid use after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with several drawbacks, including nausea, vomiting, sedation, and delayed recovery. It also increases the risk of respiratory depression, especially in vulnerable patients, and may contribute to long-term opioid dependence. These risks highlight the importance of opioid-sparing strategies such as regional anesthesia techniques to improve patient outcomes and enhance recovery. Regional anesthesia techniques have emerged as essential components of multimodal analgesia strategies in abdominal surgeries. Among them, the Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) Block has gained popularity due to its relative ease of administration and favorable safety profile. Recently, a novel fascial plane block known as the EXORA block has been introduced as a promising alternative for abdominal wall analgesia. This block, which targets a different anatomical plane, is postulated to provide comparable or superior analgesic efficacy to traditional methods while maintaining safety and simplicity in execution. Given the ongoing pursuit of optimal analgesia with minimal side effects, it is essential to compare emerging techniques, such as the EXORA block, with established methods like the ESP block. The authors hypothesize that the EXORA and the ESP blocks provide superior postoperative analgesia compared to controls in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy and that the EXORA block analgesic profile is superior to that of the ESP block.

Following the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2025-updated statement, this prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial will be conducted at Fayoum University Hospital (FUH) starting from October 2025 until the sample size is reached. After obtaining approval from the local institutional ethics committee at Fayoum University Hospital (FUH) and registering the trial on ClinicalTrials.gov, all patients scheduled for elective cholecystectomy at FUH will sign a detailed informed consent form after fulfilling the eligibility criteria. Patients will be randomly assigned to three equal groups with an allocation ratio of 1:1:1 (n=35) using computer-generated random numbers that will be sealed in a closed opaque envelope, opened by the anesthesiologist responsible for administering the ultrasound-guided block preoperatively * Group A (EXORA Block Group): Patients will receive bilateral EXORA blocks. * Group B (ESP Block Group): Patients will receive bilateral ESP blocks. * Group C (Control Group): patients will not receive any block, only standard care. Preoperatively, all patients will be assessed and investigated by complete blood count, Prothrombin time and concentration, kidney and liver functions. Additional investigations, such as serum electrolytes, ECG, ECHO, etc., will be ordered upon individual patient assessment. All blocks will be performed by an anesthesiologist experienced in regional blocks preoperatively in a separate block room under strict aseptic conditions using ultrasound guidance after applying standard monitoring (pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure, and electrocardiogram) and administering a sedative dose of intravenous midazolam (0.03 mg/kg). For both groups A and B, sensory block will be assessed by a blinded anesthesiologist after 30 minutes from the block maneuver bilaterally from the distribution of the fifth Thoracic dermatome (T5) down to the level of the twelfth thoracic dermatome (T12). This will be accomplished using a pinprick with a blunt 20-G needle on a two-point scale, where 0 indicates the presence of sensation and 1 indicates numbness or absence of sensation in reference to sensation in the shoulder region. If no sensory loss is observed, the patient will be excluded from the study. All patients will then be transferred to the operating room, handed over to the attending anesthesiologist who is blinded to group allocation and is responsible for further patient management. standard monitoring will be reapplied, and then general anesthesia will be induced using propofol (2 mg/kg), atracurium (0.5 mg/kg), and fentanyl (2 μg/kg). Anesthesia will be maintained with intermittent intravenous atracurium (0.1 mg/kg boluses) and an isoflurane inhalation in an oxygen and air mixture. An intravenous Ketorolac (30 mg), Nalbuphine (10 mg), and Ondansetron 8 mg will be administered approximately 30 minutes before the end of the operation. After discharge to the ward, paracetamol 1g /8 hours and ketorolac 30 mg/12 hours will be administered to all patients. Both static (at rest) and dynamic (with movement) visual analogue scale (VAS) will be assessed at 1,2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours (where 0 denotes no pain, and 10 represents the most intense pain ever experienced), and if the VAS score is equal to or higher than 4, a rescue analgesic dose of nalbuphine 5 mg will be administered.