Ultrasound Guided Pericapsular Nerve Group Block Versus Quadratus Lumborum Block

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a common disease of the pediatrics patients with a rate of incidence 3 to 5 per 1000 children and open surgical reduction of congenital hip dislocation (CHD) is commonly done in paediatrics.

One of the most important challenges in pediatric hip surgeries is postoperative pain management which may result in impaired patient rehabilitation and prolonged hospitalizations.

Opioids are commonly used for postoperative analgesia in various surgeries but their use is associated with many complications such as sedation, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, constipation and respiratory depression. Many types of peripheral nerve blocks, such as the femoral nerve block (FNB) and the lumbar plexus block (LPB), are used for lower limb surgeries as well as anterior quadratus lumborum block (QLB) and Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block that provide effective postoperative analgesia in lower limb surgeries.

Quadratus Lumborum (QL) block was first described by Rafael Blanco at the 2007 annual meeting of the European Society of Regional Anesthesia (ESRA). The basic concept of the QL block is the deposition of a local anesthetic solution adjacent to the anterolateral aspect of the QL muscle. The spread pattern obtained is similar to that of the landmark-based TAP block, in that there is subsequent extension into the thoracic paravertebral space. Borglum et al. originally described placing the needle tip anterior to the QL muscle using their transmuscular approach.

This technique was later refined by applying a posterior approach, named the "Shamrock method" (with the erector spinae, QL, and psoas muscles as the leaves and the L4 transverse process as the stem). Administering local anesthesia between the QL and psoas muscles ensures a reliable spread into the thoracic paravertebral space.

There are different quadratus lumborum blocks (anterior, posterior and lateral blocks) with different mechanisms of action according to injectate spread. However, there is insufficient evidence to recommend one approach and transducer positioning over another for individual patient populations and specific surgical types.

Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block is relatively a recent regional technique based on blocking the articular branches to the hip joint with a single injection and is used for perioperative analgesia in hip surgery.

The pericapsular nerve group block (PENG) is a regional anesthetic technique described in 2018, developed primarily in total hip arthroplasties (THA) for postoperative analgesia with motor sparing benefits. The block is thought to provide more complete analgesia to the hip by depositing local anesthetic within the myofascial plane of the psoas muscle and superior pubic ramus.

Inclusion criteria

• Physical status: ASA I-II
• Scheduled for open unilateral hip surgery

Exclusion criteria

• Parent's refusal
• Allergy to local anesthetics drugs
• Psychological, mental disorders or metabolic disease
• Patients with bleeding disorder, liver disease or sepsis
• Local infection or pervious surgery at site of anesthetic injection procedures.