The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3): 517-524.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.03.021

• Treatise: Clinical Practice • Previous Articles    

Effect of superficial cervical plexus block with ropivacaine or combined with adjuvants on patients undergoing radical thyroid cancer surgery

Tianxiao DU1,2,Caifen LI2,Yu ZHANG2,Luming DAI2,Qiuxiang JIANG2,Hanqing QU2,Yang LU2,Zheng GONG2()   

  1. 1.The Graduate School of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine,Nanning 530200,Guangxi,China
    2.Department of Anesthesiology,the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Union Training Base of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine),Nanning 530021,Guangxi,China
  • Received:2025-08-07 Online:2026-02-10 Published:2026-02-09
  • Contact: Zheng GONG E-mail:GZqyydoctor@163.com

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of ultrasound-guided bilateral superficial cervical plexus nerve block using ropivacaine or ropivacaine combined with different adjuvants on postoperative analgesia and recovery quality in patients undergoing radical thyroid cancer surgery. Methods A total of 140 patients scheduled for radical thyroid cancer surgery were randomly allocated into 4 groups: the general anesthesia group (Group C), the general anesthesia + ropivacaine group (Group R), the general anesthesia + ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine group (Group R1), and the general anesthesia + ropivacaine combined with dexamethasone group (Group R2). The observation indicators included the intraoperative consumption of sedative and analgesic drugs, postoperative analgesia requirements, postoperative recovery, resting and active Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores, Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire scores, QoR-15 scores, and adverse reactions at different time points after anesthesia. Results Compared with Group C, both the resting and activity VAS scores in Group R were lower within 12 hours after surgery (P < 0.05). Similarly, within 24 hours after surgery, the resting and activity VAS scores in Groups R1 and R2 were lower (P < 0.05). Moreover, the postoperative RCSQ scores and QoR-15 scores in all three groups (R, R1, R2) were higher (P < 0.05). When compared with Group R, the VAS scores in Groups R1 and R2 were lower within 6 to 24 hours post-surgery (P < 0.05), and the postoperative RCSQ scores and QoR-15 scores on the first postoperative day were higher (P < 0.05). Conclusions Bilateral superficial cervical plexus nerve block with ropivacaine or combined with different adjuvants is superior to general anesthesia in improving intraoperative hemodynamics, reducing the consumption of sedative and analgesic drugs, enhancing analgesic efficacy, and promoting recovery quality in patients undergoing radical thyroid cancer surgery. Ropivacaine combined with adjuvants has better analgesic effects and recovery quality than ropivacaine alone.

Key words: radical thyroid cancer surgery, superficial cervical plexus nerve blocks, ropivacaine, dexmedetomidine, dexamethasone

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