Efficacy of popliteal plexus block for opioid sparing and pain management after lower extremity surgery: a meta-analysis.

Authors

Jiyoun Lee, Ji-Hyeon Lee, Young-Woong Choi, Hyo-Seok Na, Hyun-Jung Shin

Published in

The Korean journal of pain. Volume 39. Issue 4. Pages 582-592. Oct 01, 2026.

Abstract

Postoperative pain management often depends on opioids, despite the associated adverse effects. The popliteal plexus block (PPB) presents a promising technique to reduce opioid consumption in surgeries.
This meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness of PPB when added to other nerve blocks, as well as its comparative efficacy against other block techniques, in improving postoperative recovery. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of PPB in adults undergoing lower extremity surgery were included. The primary outcome was 24-hour opioid consumption; secondary outcomes included pain scores at 12 and 24 hours, and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The pooled effect size was quantified using mean difference (MD), standardized MD (SMD), or relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
Quantitative synthesis was restricted to studies evaluating PPB as an add-on to another nerve block technique. Compared with the standalone comparator, PPB significantly reduced 24-hour opioid consumption (5 studies; SMD: -1.32; 95% CI: -2.29 to -0.34), pain scores at 12 hours (4 studies; MD: -1.32; 95% CI: -2.25 to -0.39) and 24 hours (4 studies; MD: -0.52; 95% CI: -1.02 to -0.02), and the incidence of PONV (3 studies; RR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.55). Three additional single-trial head-to-head comparisons (vs. other blocks) were not pooled and are reported narratively.
As an add-on, PPB reduces opioid consumption, pain scores, and PONV incidence. Head-to-head evidence against other blocks remains limited and inconsistent; further high-quality RCTs are warranted to clarify comparative efficacy and address heterogeneity.

PMID:
42816134
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.