Ultrasound guided lateral quadratus lumborum block enhanced recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effects of lateral quadratus lumborum block (QLB) on postoperative pain and recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Materials and methods Patients between 18 and 70 years old, diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II, and scheduled for laparoscopic colorectal surgery were recruited. Patients were excluded if they were allergic to local anesthetics and unable to complete the procedure of puncture or follow-up evaluation. All included patients were randomly allocated to either QLB or Sham group. The primary outcome was perioperative cumulative sufentanil consumption. Results There were no significant differences between the groups in anesthetic time, operation time, dosage of propofol, and remifentanil (P ​> ​0.05). Patients in the QLB group had significantly less sufentanil consumption both intraoperatively and postoperatively, compared with the Sham group (P ​ Conclusions Ultrasound-guided lateral QLB significantly reduced perioperative opioid consumption, alleviated postoperative pain, shortened the time to first ambulation and anal flatus, and enhanced postoperative recovery of the patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery.