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Hilar nerve block for percutaneous liver tumor ablation
Jeremy Lok Wei1, Carmen Chi Min Cho1, Wing Chung Law1
1Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Pain Management
|November 7, 2025
Summary
Hilar nerve block effectively reduces pain and analgesic needs during percutaneous liver tumor ablation. This technique offers significant pain relief, improving patient outcomes in liver tumor treatments.
Area of Science:
- Interventional Radiology
- Pain Management
- Hepatology
Background:
- Percutaneous liver tumor ablation is a common oncologic procedure.
- Pain management remains a critical aspect of patient comfort and procedural success.
- Hilar nerve block is an emerging technique for intra-procedural analgesia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hilar nerve block for pain relief during percutaneous liver tumor ablation.
- To compare pain scores and analgesic requirements between patients who received a hilar nerve block and those who did not.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing image-guided percutaneous liver ablation.
- Comparison of outcomes (technical success, complications, pain scores, analgesia/sedation needs) between nerve block and control groups.
- Data collected from November 2022 to July 2024.
Main Results:
- The hilar nerve block group (30 patients) reported significantly lower overall pain scores (3.9 vs 5.5, p=0.018) compared to the control group (33 patients).
- Lower fentanyl requirements (17.5 µg vs 35.6 µg, p=0.001) were observed in the nerve block group.
- Twelve patients in the nerve block group required no intravenous analgesia.
Conclusions:
- Hilar nerve block is a safe and effective method for managing pain during percutaneous liver tumor ablation.
- This technique can significantly reduce the need for intravenous analgesics, enhancing patient recovery.
