Comparison between Preoperative Ultrasound Guided TAP Block and Caudal Block in Inguinal Hernia Repair in Paediatrics for Intraoperative and Postoperative Analgesia

Abstract Background Inguinal hernia repair is the most common scheduled sub-umbilical surgery done in day case paediatric surgical units. Using optimal analgesic regimens is essential to provide safe and effective analgesia, reduce postoperative stress response and accelerate recovery from surgery. Regional anaesthetic techniques are commonly used to facilitate pain control in paediatric surgical procedures. Aim of the Work To compare the effectiveness and safety of US guided TAP versus caudal block for postoperative analgesia in paediatric patients undergoing Unilateral Inguinal hernia repair. Patients and Methods The study was conducted on 40 randomly chosen patients in Ain Shams University Hospitals after approval of the medical ethical committee. Patients were divided randomly into two groups, each group consisted of 20 patients. After preoperative assessment and obtaining baseline vital data, all patients received general anaesthesia followed by the block at the beginning of the operation. Results the study revealed that US guided TAP block provided significantly prolonged postoperative analgesia and reduced the postoperative analgesic requirements as compared with caudal block in paediatric patients and also demonstrated that both analgesic techniques are safe. Conclusion From our study we can conclude that Ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block and caudal epidural block are effective analgesics in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair surgery, with transversus plane block providing longer analgesic effect and decreased pain scores.