Ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block in pigs undergoing laparoscopic ovariectomy: A preliminary clinical study.

TAP block feasible but showed no analgesic advantage in pigs undergoing laparoscopic ovariectomy.

This prospective randomized blinded clinical study evaluated the efficacy of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in 35 female pigs undergoing laparoscopic ovariectomy. After excluding nine pigs, 26 pigs were analyzed (12 TAP, 14 control). The TAP group received a three-injection-point per hemiabdomen block with 1% lidocaine, while controls received no sham injection. Primary outcomes included isoflurane requirements and postoperative pain scores using the UNESP-Botucatu pig composite acute pain scale. Results showed no statistically significant difference in overall isoflurane requirements between groups (7.12±0.89 versus 7.19±1.04, p=0.775). Postoperative pain scores were low in both groups with no significant differences (median 1 in TAP versus 1 in controls). Rescue analgesia requirements showed no significant differences intra- or postoperatively. The study concludes that while ultrasound-guided TAP block is technically feasible in pigs, no isoflurane-sparing or additional analgesic benefit was demonstrated using this methodology.

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