Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block Versus Thoracoscopically-Guided Intercostal Nerve Block in Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Effective postoperative pain management is essential after thoracic surgery. Insufficient pain control may impair breathing and coughing, increasing the risk of pulmonary complications such as collapsed lungs (atelectasis) or pneumonia. Although minimally invasive lung surgery (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, VATS) is less painful than open surgery, people can still have significant pain after the operation. The goal of this randomized comparative study is to compare two commonly used regional anesthesia techniques for pain control after VATS in adults. Researchers will compare an ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB), performed by anesthesiologists, to a thoracoscopically-guided intercostal nerve block (ICNB), performed by surgeons. Participants will: * Undergo elective VATS lung resection surgery * Receive either ESPB or ICNB, according to random assignment * Have the received amount of analgesics recorded during the first 24 hours * Have their pain levels assessed at predefined time points after surgery The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does ESPB result in similar analgesic consumption in the first 24 hours after surgery? * Does ESPB provide similar postoperative pain relief compared to ICNB? * Is the time needed to perform ESPB similar to ICNB?

NCT Number	NCT07535697
Lead Sponsor	Sana Klinikum Offenbach
Conditions	Regional Anesthesia, Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS), Erector Spinae Plane Block, Intercostal Nerve Block
Enrollment	72 participants
Start Date	2026-05-04
Primary Completion	2027-04-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-05-03 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-01