Evaluating the Analgesic Efficacy of Superficial Cervical Plexus Block for Maxillofacial Surgeries

Overview

The superficial cervical plexus (SCP) originates from the anterior rami of C1-C4 and gives four cutaneous branches supplying the anterolateral neck, external ear, and shoulder tip (1). A superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) is performed by subcutaneous injection at the midpoint of the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid, targeting these sensory branches using either landmarks or ultrasound guidance. The goal of the ultrasound (US)-guided technique of superficial cervical plexus nerve block is to deposit local anesthetic within the vicinity of the sensory branches of the nerve roots C2, C3, and C4 (2). SCPB has been successfully used for analgesia in mandibular, tympanomastoid, thyroid, submandibular, and clavicular surgeries, and can even serve as the sole anaesthetic technique in external ear procedures (3, 4). As complications may arise while administrating a SCPB, an adequate understanding of the block physiology and local anesthetic toxicity can mitigate these issues. Superficial cervical plexus block shares common complications with other local anesthetic-based nerve blocks including intravascular injection into a vein or an artery, hematoma formation, infection risk and local anesthetic toxicity. It is worthy to refer that complications are of a higher incidence in deep blocks than superficial ones

The superficial cervical plexus (SCP) originates from the anterior rami of C1-C4 and gives four cutaneous branches supplying the anterolateral neck, external ear, and shoulder tip (1). A superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) is performed by subcutaneous injection at the midpoint of the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid, targeting these sensory branches using either landmarks or ultrasound guidance. The goal of the ultrasound (US)-guided technique of superficial cervical plexus nerve block is to deposit local anesthetic within the vicinity of the sensory branches of the nerve roots C2, C3, and C4 (2). SCPB has been successfully used for analgesia in mandibular, tympanomastoid, thyroid, submandibular, and clavicular surgeries, and can even serve as the sole anaesthetic technique in external ear procedures (3, 4). As complications may arise while administrating a SCPB, an adequate understanding of the block physiology and local anesthetic toxicity can mitigate these issues. Superficial cervical plexus block shares common complications with other local anesthetic-based nerve blocks including intravascular injection into a vein or an artery, hematoma formation, infection risk and local anesthetic toxicity. It is worthy to refer that complications are of a higher incidence in deep blocks than superficial ones . Based on this background, the present study aims to evaluate the analgesic effect of US-guided SCPB in maxillofacial surgeries compared with conventional general anaesthesia, focusing on intra- and postoperative systemic analgesic requirements, pain scores on the visual analog scale (VAS), total duration of analgesia, vital parameters, and the incidence of postoperative complications.