Perioperative analgesic efficacy of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block in patients undergoing thyroidectomy: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Introduction Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block (BSCPB) is a common method used for analgesia in thyroid surgery. We investigated the analgesic efficacy of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block in the intraoperative and postoperative periods. Materials and methods Patients (n = 46) undergoing thyroidectomy were randomly separated into the following 2 groups: the general anesthesia group (GA; n = 23) and the general anesthesia plus BSCPB group (GS; n = 23). The intraoperative analgesic requirement (remifentanil) and visual analog scale (VAS) score at multiple time points during the postoperative period (after extubation, at 15 min, 30 min and 1, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h post operation) were evaluated. Total tramadol and paracetamol consumption as well as the amount of ondansetron used was recorded. Results The intraoperative remifentanil requirement was significantly lower in the GS Group than in the GA Group (p = 0.009). The postoperative pain scores were significantly lower in the GS Group than in the GA Group at 15 min (p  Conclusion We concluded that BSCPB with 0.25% bupivacaine reduces the postoperative pain intensity and opioid dependency in thyroid surgery patients.