Clinical application of ultrasound-guided thoracic nerve block in the operation of benign breast tumors

Objective: To analyze the application of ultrasound-guided thoracic nerve block (TNB) in the operation of benign breast tumors. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 69 patients who underwent resection of benign breast tumors (fibroma, segment) in the Maternity and Child Care Center of Qinhuangdao from January 2021 to June 2022. Among them, 33 patients who received TNB were assigned to an observation group, and 36 patients who received local infiltration anesthesia were assigned to a control group. The heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of patients were recorded before anesthesia (T0), at skin incision (T1), at 0.5 h after operation (T2) and before leaving the operating room (T3). We also recorded the operation indexes, comprising operation time, total propofol dosage administered during operation, anesthesia recovery time and extubation time. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was evaluated at 0.5, 2, 4 and 6 h after the operation. The two groups were also compared in terms of the levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgG, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-& alpha; (TNF-& alpha;). The postoperative adverse reactions in the two groups were statistically analyzed. Results: Compared with the observation group, the control group experienced a longer operation time, anesthesia recovery time and extubation time and consumed more propofol (P < 0.001). At T0 and T1, the two groups were not notably different in SBP, DBP and HR (P > 0.05), but at T2 and T3, the control group showed higher SBP, DBP and HR than the observation group (P < 0.001). The control group exhibited notably higher VAS scores than the observation group (P < 0.001). Before operation, the differences in the levels of IgA, IgG, IL-6 and TNF-& alpha; were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05), while after operation and at 24 h after operation, the control group showed higher levels of IgA, IgG, IL-6 and TNF-& alpha; in comparison to the observation group (P < 0.01). The incidences of adverse reactions were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided TNB can substantially reduce both the operation time and the postoperative pain in patients with benign breast tumors, without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions.