ReviewOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2018
Suprascapular Nerve Blockade for Postoperative Pain Control After Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Review in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Postoperative neurologic symptoms in the operative arm after shoulder surgery with interscalene blockade: a systematic review.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2022Pooled it
- Network Meta-Analysis of Perioperative Analgesic Effects of Different Interventions on Postoperative Pain After Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery Based on Randomized Controlled Trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and adverse effects of peripheral nerve blocks and local infiltration anesthesia after arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Suprascapular nerve block is a clinically attractive alternative to interscalene nerve block during arthroscopic shoulder surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2021Pooled it
- Protective effects of C5 level saline injection around the phrenic nerve in interscalene brachial plexus block: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Coracoid approach brachial plexus block combined with posterior suprascapular nerve block provides analgesia for shoulder arthroscopy: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Continuous suprascapular nerve block compared with single-shot interscalene brachial plexus block for pain control after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2020Trial
- Efficacy and Emerging Role of Suprascapular Nerve Block for Pain Management after Shoulder Surgeries.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Review
- An update on regional anesthesia in shoulder surgery: a narrative review.Annals of joint · 2025Review
- Comparison of the Effects of Ultrasound-Guided Subacromial Injection Versus Subacromial Injection and Suprascapular Nerve Block on Pain, Function, and Sleep Quality in Rotator Cuff Lesions.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Role of suprascapular nerve block in idiopathic frozen shoulder treatment: a clinical trial survey.Clinics in shoulder and elbow · 2022Article
- [The impact of unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis on sleep-disordered breathing: a scoping review].Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2021Article
- Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Supra-scapular Plus Axillary Nerve Block with Interscalene Block for Postoperative Pain Management in Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery; A Double-Blinded Randomized Open-Label Clinical Trial.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRegional nerve blocks are commonly used to manage postoperative pain after arthroscopic shoulder procedures. The interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) is commonly used; however, because of the reported side effects of ISB, the use of a suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) has been described as an alternative strategy with fewer reported side effects. PURPOSE: To examine the efficacy of SSNB for pain control after shoulder arthroscopy compared with ISB as well as anesthesia without a nerve block. STUDY
designSystematic review; Level of evidence, 1.
methodsThree databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE) were searched on April 20, 2018, to systematically identify and screen the literature for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A meta-analysis of standard mean differences (SMDs) was performed to pool the estimated effects of the nerve blocks.
resultsThe search identified 14 RCTs that included 1382 patients, with a mean age of 54 years (SD, 13 years). The mean follow-up time was 3 days (range, 24 hours to 6 weeks). Postoperative pain control was significantly more effective in the SSNB groups compared with the control groups within 1 hour (SMD, -0.76; 95% CI, -1.45 to -0.07;
conclusionAlthough not more efficacious than ISB in terms of pain control for patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopy, SSNB provides significantly improved pain control in comparison with analgesia without a nerve block. Moreover, few major and minor complications are associated with SSNB reported across the literature.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.