Lateral quadratus lumborum block vs acupuncture for postcesarean analgesia: a randomized clinical trial

Improved pain control after cesarean section remains a challenging objective. Although both the lateral quadratus lumborum block (L-QLB) and acupuncture have been reported to provide superior postoperative analgesia after cesarean section when compared to placebo, the efficacy of these techniques has never been compared head-to-head.

This study was conducted to investigate the comparative analgesic efficacy of L-QLB and acupuncture following elective cesarean section.

In this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial, a total of 190 patients with singleton-term pregnancies scheduled for cesarean section under spinal-epidural anesthesia were enrolled. Patients were randomized 1:1 to acupuncture group or L-QLB group. L-QLB group received bilateral L-QLB with 0.33% ropivacaine and sham acupuncture, acupuncture group received transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation and press needle therapy, and sham L-QLB. All patients received the standard postoperative pain treatment. The primary outcome was pain scores on movement at 24 hours. Secondary endpoints included pain scores in the first 48 hours postoperatively, patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) demands, analgesia-related adverse effects, postoperative complications, QoR-15, the time to mobilization, and gastrointestinal function.

Median (interquartile range [range]) pain scores at 24 hours on movement were similar in patients receiving acupuncture or L-QLB (3 [2-4] vs 3 [2-4], respectively; P=.40). PCIA consumption and pain scores within 48 hours postoperatively also showed no difference between the two groups. The acupuncture improved QoR-15 scores at 24 and 48 hours postoperatively (P<.001), as well as shortened the time to first flatus (P=.03) and first drinking (P<.001) compared to L-QLB. In addition, the median time to mobilization in the L-QLB group was markedly prolonged compare with acupuncture group (17.0 [15.0-19.0] hours vs 15.3 [13.3-17.0] hours, estimated median difference, 1.5; 95% CI, 1-2; P<.001).

As a component of multimodal analgesia regimen after cesarean section, acupuncture did not lower postoperative pain scores or reduce analgesic medication consumption compared to L-QLB.