Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer)NCT07704970
QLESP Block for Pain Control in Robotic Partial Nephrectomy
A study testing ropivacaine (local infiltration) and ropivacaine in people with Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer) and Postoperative Pain, run by Huazhong University of Science and Technology at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an ultrasound-guided nerve block called QLESP works to reduce pain and the need for strong pain medicines after robotic kidney surgery in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer), Postoperative Pain, Nerve Block
- What is being tested?
- ropivacaine (local infiltration) and ropivacaine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 22 Sep 2026to 31 Mar 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Aged 18 to 75 years
- Scheduled for elective robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN)
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I to III
- Body mass index (BMI) 18 to 35 kg/m²
- Voluntarily signed informed consent form Able to understand pain scoring and use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)
Who cannot join
- Language, communication, or comprehension barriers
- Infection at the intended puncture site
- Coagulopathy or bleeding diathesis
- Known allergy or contraindication to local anesthetics or opioids
- Use of analgesic medications within the past 3 months
- Peripheral neuropathy
Show all 9Show fewer
- Severe cardiac, hepatic, or renal dysfunction
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Refusal to participate in the study
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Wuhan, Hubei, 430022
You-nian Xu, +8613657263415, xyn0103@hust.edu.cn
About this study
Official title: Ultrasound-Guided L2 Level QLESP Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an ultrasound-guided nerve block called QLESP works to reduce pain and the need for strong pain medicines after robotic kidney surgery in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does QLESP reduce the total amount of opioid pain medicine participants need in the first 48 hours after surgery?
- Does QLESP lower pain scores and improve recovery quality after surgery? Researchers will compare participants who receive QLESP block to participants who receive the same numbing medicine injected only at the surgical wound sites.
Read more
Participants will:
- Be randomly assigned to receive either QLESP or local wound injection before surgery.
- Have a patient-controlled pain pump for 48 hours after surgery.
- Complete pain scores and recovery quality questionnaires at 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery.
- Be followed until hospital discharge.
- Being tested
- ropivacaine (local infiltration), ropivacaine
- Keywords
- Quadratus Lumborum Block, Erector Spinae Plane Block, Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy, Postoperative Pain, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery
- Medical subject headings
- Carcinoma, Renal Cell, Kidney Neoplasms, Pain, Postoperative
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ropivacaine (local infiltration)Drug
Ultrasound-guided QLESP block with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine (15 mL injected between the erector spinae muscle and the transverse process at L2 level, followed by 15 mL injected between the quadratus lumborum and psoas major muscles) after induction of general anesthesia.
ropivacaineDrug
Local wound infiltration with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine at the port sites performed by the surgeon at the end of surgery.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| QLESP Group | Experimental | Participants receive ultrasound-guided QLESP block with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine (15 mL in the erector spinae fascial plane and 15 mL in the quadratus lumborum-psoas major interfascial plane) after induction of general anesthesia. Receives: Drug: ropivacaine |
| Control Group | Active comparator | Participants receive local wound infiltration with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine at the port sites performed by the surgeon at the end of surgery. Receives: Drug: ropivacaine (local infiltration) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Cumulative Opioid Consumption at 48 Hours Postoperatively
Cumulative opioid consumption measured at 48 hours after surgery
Measured: From the end of surgery to 48 hours postoperatively.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Jul 2026
- Study start22 Sep 2026
- Primary completion28 Feb 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (4)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Xi Wu, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07704970
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- WHUH20260711
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Jul 2026
- Last updated
- 25 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: The study protocol and informed consent form did not include provisions for secondary data analysis by external researchers.
Publications
Elsharkawy H, Bajracharya GR, El-Boghdadly K, Drake RL, Mariano ER. Comparing two posterior quadratus lumborum block approaches with low thoracic erector spinae plane block: an anatomic study. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2019 Mar 28:rapm-2018-100147. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2018-100147. Online ahead of print.
PubMed 30923253Kadam VR, Van Wijk RM, Ludbrook GL, Thiruvenkatarajan V. Anatomical and ultrasound description of two transmuscular quadratus lumborum block approaches at L2 level and their application in abdominal surgery. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2019 Mar;47(2):141-145. doi: 10.1177/0310057X19839931. Epub 2019 May 15.
PubMed 31088120Little C, Rahman S. Quadratus Lumborum Blocks in Nephrectomy: A Narrative Review. Local Reg Anesth. 2021 Apr 19;14:57-65. doi: 10.2147/LRA.S290224. eCollection 2021.
PubMed 33907461He Y, Huang M, Zhong Q, Ni H, Yu Z, Zhang X. Analgesic Effect of Ultrasound-Guided Anterior Quadratus Lumborum Block at the L2 Level in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy: A Single-Center, Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Res Manag. 2022 Dec 15;2022:8958859. doi: 10.1155/2022/8958859. eCollection 2022.
PubMed 36569463
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Ultrasound-Guided L2 Level QLESP Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07704970
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- WHUH20260711
- Keywords
- Quadratus Lumborum Block, Erector Spinae Plane Block, Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy, Postoperative Pain, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 22 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 Feb 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 15 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an ultrasound-guided nerve block called QLESP works to reduce pain and the need for strong pain medicines after robotic kidney surgery in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does QLESP reduce the total amount of opioid pain medicine participants need in the first 48 hours after surgery?
- Does QLESP lower pain scores and improve recovery quality after surgery? Researchers will compare participants who receive QLESP block to participants who receive the same numbing medicine injected only at the surgical wound sites.
Participants will:
- Be randomly assigned to receive either QLESP or local wound injection before surgery.
- Have a patient-controlled pain pump for 48 hours after surgery.
- Complete pain scores and recovery quality questionnaires at 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery.
- Be followed until hospital discharge.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| QLESP Group | Experimental | Drug: ropivacaineParticipants receive ultrasound-guided QLESP block with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine (15 mL in the erector spinae fascial plane and 15 mL in the quadratus lumborum-psoas major interfascial plane) after induction of general anesthesia. |
| Control Group | Active comparator | Drug: ropivacaine (local infiltration)Participants receive local wound infiltration with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine at the port sites performed by the surgeon at the end of surgery. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Aged 18 to 75 years
- Scheduled for elective robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN)
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I to III
- Body mass index (BMI) 18 to 35 kg/m²
- Voluntarily signed informed consent form Able to understand pain scoring and use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Language, communication, or comprehension barriers
- Infection at the intended puncture site
- Coagulopathy or bleeding diathesis
- Known allergy or contraindication to local anesthetics or opioids
- Use of analgesic medications within the past 3 months
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| ropivacaine (local infiltration)Ultrasound-guided QLESP block with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine (15 mL injected between the erector spinae muscle and the transverse process at L2 level, followed by 15 mL injected between the quadratus lumborum and psoas major muscles) after induction of general anesthesia. | Drug | Control Group |
| ropivacaineLocal wound infiltration with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine at the port sites performed by the surgeon at the end of surgery. | Drug | QLESP Group |
Primary outcome
Cumulative Opioid Consumption at 48 Hours Postoperatively
Time frame: From the end of surgery to 48 hours postoperatively.
Cumulative opioid consumption measured at 48 hours after surgery
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Sep 2026.
- Results publication: PubMed 30923253Elsharkawy H, Bajracharya GR, El-Boghdadly K, Drake RL, Mariano ER. Comparing two posterior quadratus lumborum block approaches with low thoracic erector spinae plane block: an anatomic study. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2019 Mar 28:rapm-2018-100147. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2018-100147. Online ahead of print.
- Results publication: PubMed 31088120Kadam VR, Van Wijk RM, Ludbrook GL, Thiruvenkatarajan V. Anatomical and ultrasound description of two transmuscular quadratus lumborum block approaches at L2 level and their application in abdominal surgery. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2019 Mar;47(2):141-145. doi: 10.1177/0310057X19839931. Epub 2019 May 15.
- Results publication: PubMed 33907461Little C, Rahman S. Quadratus Lumborum Blocks in Nephrectomy: A Narrative Review. Local Reg Anesth. 2021 Apr 19;14:57-65. doi: 10.2147/LRA.S290224. eCollection 2021.
- Results publication: PubMed 36569463He Y, Huang M, Zhong Q, Ni H, Yu Z, Zhang X. Analgesic Effect of Ultrasound-Guided Anterior Quadratus Lumborum Block at the L2 Level in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy: A Single-Center, Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Res Manag. 2022 Dec 15;2022:8958859. doi: 10.1155/2022/8958859. eCollection 2022.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. The study protocol and informed consent form did not include provisions for secondary data analysis by external researchers.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing ropivacaine (local infiltration) and ropivacaine in people with Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer) and Postoperative Pain, run by Huazhong University of Science and Technology at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Xi Wu (+8615871715431, wu2018whuh@163.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Cumulative Opioid Consumption at 48 Hours Postoperatively (time frame: From the end of surgery to 48 hours postoperatively.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07704970, which also lists 4 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Sep 2026.