Ultrasound Guided Ankle Block Versus Medial Forefoot Block for Forefoot Surgery

A Randomised, Blinded Comparison of an Ultrasound Guided Ankle Block Compared to a Nerve Stimulator Guided Ankle Block for Pain Relief After Forefoot Surgery.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01386320

Acronym

USGAB

Enrollment

Registered

2011-07-01

Start date

2011-02-28

Completion date

2014-10-31

Last updated

2019-07-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pain Relief After Forefoot Surgery

Keywords

anaesthetic techniques, regional; surgery orthopaedic

Brief summary

Forefoot surgery includes bunion surgery and similar reconstructive bone cutting surgery and is very painful. Local anaesthetic nerve blocks have been used for many years to help alleviate pain following this surgery. The present study aims to compare a new ultrasound guided nerve block to a well established nerve stimulator guided technique. Comparisons will include time taken to carry out the block, speed of onset of numbness and duration and quality of pain relief after surgery.

Interventions

PROCEDUREUltrasound guided ankle block

Under ultrasound guidance, block of the tibial nerve, superficial and deep branches of the common peroneal nerve and saphenous nerves will be carried out using 12 mls 0.5% levobupivacaine and 12 mls 0.75% levobupivacaine.

PROCEDUREMedial forefoot block

Using peripheral nerve stimulator guidance, the tibial and common peroneal nerves will be blocked ( plus the saphenous nerve ), using a total of 12 mls 0.75% levobupivacaine and 12 mls 0.5% levobupivacaine.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 85 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Fit adult patients requiring forefoot surgery with bone cutting.

Exclusion criteria

* Morbid obesity (BMI \>40), known contraindications to regional anaesthesia

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Time taken to carry out each local anaesthetic block	Over forty five minutes from the start of the study.	Time taken between opening sterile packs and completion of local anaesthetic block is measured by a blind observer.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Onset of local anaesthesia	Over thirty minutes from completion of the local anaesthetic block.	Following administration of the local block, development of anaesthesia will be measured looking at cold and pin-prick sensation by a blind observer.
Duration of pain relief following local anaesthetic block.	Over 24 hours following surgery.	Pain relief will be assessed over 24 hours following surgery, to assess its duration and quality, by a blind observer.

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026