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Posthectomy in Pediatric Elective Surgery : a Comparison of Perioperative Analgesia Using Echo-guided Penile Block and Pudendal Block With neurostimuLation Technique

Comparison of Echo-guided Penile Block and Pudendal Block Under Neurostimulation for Perioperative Analgesia of Posthectomy in Pediatric Surgery: a Prospective, Randomized Study at Caen University Hospital

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07191938
Acronym
PinEAPPLE
Enrollment
240
Registered
2025-09-25
Start date
2025-09-30
Completion date
2028-12-31
Last updated
2025-09-25

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

Conditions

Analgesia Assessment, Posthectomy, Postoperative Analgesia, Postoperative Care

Keywords

Neurostimulation guided pudendal block, US guided penile block, Security, Efficiency

Brief summary

Context : Posthectomy is a surgical procedure that concerns around 30% of the male population, mainly in pediatrics. As this procedure is mainly performed on an outpatient basis, the implementation of an enhanced rehabilitation protocol after surgery in pediatrics helps to reduce the incidence of postoperative pain, notably by providing multimodal analgesia, including locoregional anesthesia. Current recommendations from pediatric locoregional anesthesia societies favor penile block and the use of ultrasound in pediatric anesthesia to reduce anesthetic set-up time and the volume of local anesthetic, but also to increase the duration of sensory block and the success rate. However, several studies have shown the inferiority of penile block in anatomical landmarks compared with pudendal block under neurostimulation. As a result, pediatric anesthesiologists at Caen University Hospital prefer to use pudendal blocks under neurostimulation for posthectomy surgery. To date, no study has compared penile block under ultrasound with pudendal block under neurostimulation for postoperative analgesia after posthectomy surgery. On the other hand, a study of postoperative analgesia in hypospadias surgery showed a clear superiority of penile block under ultrasound over pudendal block in terms of both immediate postoperative pain and duration of postoperative analgesia. It therefore seems pertinent to compare these two techniques in posthectomy surgery. Objective: We propose a prospective, open-label, non-inferiority study with the primary objective of comparing the efficacy of echo-guided penile block versus pudendal block in neurostimulation for posthectomy surgery. Methods: This randomized, single-center study will include 240 patients divided into two groups. The experimental group will receive optimized medical and surgical management, with a penile block under ultrasound, while the control group will receive a pudendal block under neurostimulation. The planned duration of the study is 3 years. Hypothesis tested: We hypothesize that ultrasound-guided penile block is non-inferior to neurostimulated pudendal block for postoperative analgesia in scheduled posthectomy surgery. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the time taken to perform the block, the volume of local anesthetic used, the need for sufentanil reinjection intraoperatively, the quantitative evaluation of analgesia using the EVENDOL score, the consumption of nalbuphine in the post anesthesia care unit, the occurrence of postoperative vomiting, and the length of stay in the post anesthesia care unit. The rate of complications related to the performance of locoregional anesthesia is also observed.

Interventions

PROCEDUREUltrasound guided penile block

The penile block is performed supine. After skin disinfection, the Buck's fascia is sonographically located, and the local anesthetic is injected close to the dorsal nerve of the penis in the plane after a negative aspiration test (16). The recommended dose is 0.1 ml/kg per side of ropivacaine 2 mg/ml (8). Injection is performed bilaterally. A subcutaneous injection of 1ml ropivacaine 2mg/ml (i.e. 2mg) is made at the base of the penis to ensure blockage of the perineal fibers.

PROCEDURENeurostimulation guided pudendal block

The pudendal block is performed in the supine position, with the legs flexed. After skin disinfection and palpation of the ischial tuberosity, the neurostimulator needle, set at 0.5 mA, is inserted 1 cm medial to the tuberosity. Contraction of the anal sphincter enables the proximity of the pudendal nerve, originating from the S2, S3 and S4 roots, to be identified. Once contraction has been obtained, local anaesthetic is injected using ropivacaine 2 mg/ml at a dose of 0.2 ml/kg per side, in the absence of blood reflux.

Sponsors

University Hospital, Caen
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
12 Weeks to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* All children aged over 3 months or 60 weeks post-conceptional age scheduled for outpatient posthectomy surgery

Exclusion criteria

* Recent airway infection. * Contraindication to locoregional anesthesia: infection and/or loss of substance at the puncture site, congenital or acquired coagulopathy, product allergy. * Contraindication to outpatient treatment: age \< 12 weeks for healthy children or 60 weeks corrected age for premature babies, unbalanced pre-existing pathology (respiratory), ability to understand and comply with instructions (pre-operative fasting, taking painkillers at home and resumption of feeding), inability to ensure the presence of 2 adults including 1 parent on the return journey by car for children \< 10 years old, easy access to care close to home. * Emergency surgery. * Coupled surgery (posthectomy + other surgery). * Parents' refusal to participate in the study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Failure of effective postoperative analgesiaPerioperative period : From anesthetic induction to discharge from the post- anesthesia care unit (12 hours maximum)It is defined by intense postoperative pain: an EVENDOL score ≥ 4 or the use of nalbuphine (0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg discontinuous) in the post anesthesia care unit EVENDOL is a French scale, which is an acronym of EValuation ENfant DOuleur or Child pain assessment. This scale goes from 0 to 15, 0 is the absence of pain and 15 is the maximum pain. 4/15 is the threshold from which treatment is indicated.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Volume of local anesthetic injectedPeroperative period : From skin disinfection to removal of the ALR needle, assessed up to 30 minutesVolume of local anesthetic injected (in mL/kg/side)
Intraoperative block failure ratePeroperative period : From the beginning to the end of the surgery, assessed up to 2 hoursBlock failure is defined by the need to reinject sufentanil intraoperatively when systolic blood pressure or heart rate increases by more than 20% compared with the pre-incision heart rate, necessitating the consumption of intraoperative morphine.
Quantitative assessment of postoperative painImmediate post operative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hoursQuantitative assessment of postoperative pain using the EVENDOL score on arrival in the ICU, H+20 minutes, H+40 minutes and discharge from the post anesthesia care unit. As a reminder, EVENDOL is a French scale, which is an acronym of EValuation ENfant DOuleur or Child pain assessment. This scale goes from 0 to 15, 0 is the absence of pain and 15 is the maximum pain. 4/15 is the threshold from which treatment is indicated.
Locoregional anesthesia completion timePeroperative period : From the end of skin disinfection to the removal of the locoregional anesthesia needle, assessed up to 30 minutesIn seconds, defined as the time between the end of skin disinfection and removal of the locoregional anesthesia needle.
Post operative vomitingImmediate post operative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hoursPost operative vomiting and cosumption of ondansetron
Length of stay in post anesthesia care unitImmediate postoperative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hoursIn minutes
Adverse events related to local anesthesiaPerioperative period : From the completion of local anesthesia to the discharge from post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 6 hoursSigns of local anesthetic intoxication (neurological signs such as tinnitus, logorrhea or convulsion; tachycardia, hypotension), bleeding and hematoma at puncture site.
Nalbuphine consumptionImmediate postoperative period : From the arrival to the discharge from the post anesthesia care unit, assessed up to 4 hoursNalbuphine consumption in the post anesthesia care unit (in mg/kg)

Countries

France

Contacts

Primary ContactMarine A Rolland, MD
rolland-m@chu-caen.fr+33699014734
Backup ContactJean Luc Hanouz, MD, PhD
hanouz-jl@chu-caen.fr+33231063106

Outcome results

None listed

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