• Alaa Eldin Adel Elmaddawy and Alaa Eldin Mazy.
• Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
• Saudi J Anaesth. 2018 Jul 1; 12 (3): 412-418.

BackgroundThe thyroid gland surgery is a common and painful procedure demanding analgesia. Many regional techniques are applied for anterior neck surgeries mostly assigned in relation to the involved cervical fascia. Dexmedetomidine (Precedex) is a selective alpha 2 adrenoceptor agonist which prolongs the sensory blockade duration of local anesthetics. Our study hypothesis is that ultrasound (US)-guided bilateral superficial cervical plexus block (BSCPB) may provide longer analgesia when adding dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine-epinephrine.PurposeThe aim of this study is to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and possible side effects of US-guided BSCPB and the effect of dexmedetomidine addition to bupivacaine-epinephrine in patients undergoing thyroid surgery.MethodsThis prospective, double-blind, randomized study was performed on 42 patients randomized into two equal groups each of 21; bupivacaine Group B and dexmedetomidine Group D. Patients with contraindications to regional anesthesia or uncontrolled comorbidities were excluded from the study. Total pethidine consumption in 24 h is the primary outcome. The visual analog scale, timing of the first opioid request, and hemodynamics are the secondary outcomes.ResultsIn Group D, there was a longer time to the first request of opioid postoperatively, a lower total pethidine consumption and pain score postoperatively, and lower fentanyl requirements intraoperatively.ConclusionsSonographic-guided bilateral SCPB using a combination of bupivacaine, dexmedetomidine, and epinephrine was superior to bupivacaine for prolonged analgesia with less intra- and postoperative opioid consumption and lower side effect profile during thyroid surgery.

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