Comparison between ultrasound guided and landmark – based technique for superficial cervical plexus block in patients undergoing thyroid surgery

Balakrishnan V, Saral JN, Kavitha M, Sureshbabu K, Shankar R

Pdf Page Numbers :- 125-130

Balakrishnan V¹, Nisha Saral J¹, Kavitha M¹, Sureshbabu K^1,* and Shankar R²

¹Department of Anesthesiology, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital, Salem, Tamil Nadu 636002, India

²Department of Preventive Medicine, Vinayaka Missions Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospital, Salem, Tamil Nadu 636308, India

*Corresponding author: Dr. K. Sureshbabu, Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital, Salem, Tamil Nadu 636002, India. Email: drsureshbabu94@gmail.com

Received 23 November 2022; Revised 14 February 2023; Accepted 22 February 2023; Published 1 March 2023

Citation: Balakrishnan V, Saral JN, Kavitha M, Sureshbabu K, Shankar R. Comparison between ultrasound guided and landmark – based technique for superficial cervical plexus block in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. J Med Sci Res. 2023; 11(2):125-130. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17727/JMSR.2023/11-24

Copyright: © 2023 Balakrishnan V et al. Published by KIMS Foundation and Research Center. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Abstract

Background: The major advantage of ultrasound guided technique over the traditional landmark technique in bilateral superficial cervical plexus block is that, it helps to minimize the injury to cervical muscle, fascia and nerves. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness between landmark technique and ultrasound guided technique with respect to the post-operative analgesia, intra-operative hemodynamics and the complication rate of the procedure.

Methodology: A total of 100 patients were included as our study sample which was divided into two groups of 50 each. Group A patients received Superficial Cervical Plexus Block (SCPB) using the landmark based technique and Group B patients received SCPB under ultrasound guided technique. Parameters such as success of the procedure performance time, time of onset of action, block pain score, post-operative pain score, intra-operative hemodynamics and complication rate were compared between the two groups.

Results: The success rate of the block was found to be 72% in the landmark technique group compared to 90% in the ultrasound guided group. The onsite time of analgesia was found to be much earlier in ultrasound guided group (16.2 vs 11.1 mins). The hemodynamic parameters were found to be slightly higher among the landmark group compared to ultrasound guided group. Post-operative pain score was significantly better and the incidence of complication rate was nil among ultrasound guided group.  

Conclusion: Ultrasound guided technique is a better alternate for landmark technique for providing bilateral superficial cervical plexus block while performing thyroidectomy surgery.

Keywords: cervical plexus block; landmark technique; ultrasound technique; thyroidectomy