OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to provide an up-to-date description and overview of the rapidly growing literature pertaining to techniques and clinical applications of chest wall and abdominal fascial plane blocks in managing perioperative pain.
RESULTS: Clinical evidence suggests that regional anesthesia blocks, including fascial plane blocks, such as pectoralis, serratus, erector spinae, transversus abdominis, and quadratus lumborum blocks, are effective in providing analgesia for various surgical procedures and have more desirable side effect profile when compared to traditional neuraxial techniques. They offer advantages such as reduced opioid consumption, improved pain control, and decreased opioid-related side effects. Further research is needed to establish optimal techniques and indications for these blocks. Presently, they are a vital instrument in a gamut of multimodal analgesia options, especially when there are contraindications to neuraxial or para-neuraxial procedures. Ultimately, clinical judgment and provider skill set determine which blocks-alone or in combination-should be offered to any patient.

Surgical resection is considered to be the primary and most effective therapy for breast cancer, postoperative pain is an issue gaining significant attention. In recent years, erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has attracted much attention in postoperative analgesia, but its effectiveness is still controversial. This meta-analysis was implemented to verify the clinical analgesic efficacy and safety of erector spinae plane block in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery.
We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ESPB with general anesthesia (GA) in breast cancer surgery that were published before December 25, 2020. The primary outcome was opioid consumption at the first 24 h after surgery, while secondary outcomes included pain scores at 1, 6,12 and 24 h after surgery, opioid consumption at 1, 6 and 12 h after surgery, intraoperative opioid consumption, number of patients who need for rescue analgesia, and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).
Eleven randomized controlled trials involving 679 patients met the study inclusion criteria and were included in this study. In comparison to GA group, the ESPB group showed a significant reduction in morphine consumption at the first 24 h after surgery by a mean difference (MD) of - 7.67 mg [95% confidence interval (CI) - 10.35 to - 5.00] (P <  0.01). In addition, the ESPB group showed lower pain scores than the GA group in the four time periods (1, 6, 12 and 24 h after surgery). ESPB group significantly reduce the intraoperative consumption of fentanyl, the need for postoperative rescue analgesia, and the incidence of PONV.
Ultrasound-guided ESPB is an effective approach for reducing morphine consumption and pain intensity within the first 24 h after breast cancer surgery, compared with GA alone.