Efficacy of Transversus Abdominal Plane Block for Post-Operative Pain Management in Laparoscopic Appendectomy: A Narrative Review

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-27-2025

Publication Title

Current Pain and Headache Reports

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A transverse abdominal plane (TAP) block is a type of peripheral nerve block where local anesthetic agents are injected into the nerve fibers of the anterior abdominal wall to provide pain relief during gastric surgery. An appendectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the US, indicated for the treatment of acute appendicitis, and involves the surgical removal of the appendix. RECENT FINDINGS: The TAP block is one of many pain management options available to patient care teams during laparoscopic appendectomy procedures, so its efficacy must be weighed against alternative pain management options. While there is strong evidence that the TAP block is either equivalent to or superior to, alternative methods of pain management for the broad discussion of abdominal surgeries, we could not identify a clear answer on whether the TAP block is the most efficacious option for the specific purpose of laparoscopic appendectomy post-operative pain management. The decision to use the TAP block will be influenced by specific patient circumstances and the individual clinical expertise of the patient provider.

First Page

113

PubMed ID

41307592

Volume

29

Issue

1

Rights

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025

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