Middle ear surgery is frequently associated with significant postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting. Such issues have prompted clinicians to adopt regional nerve blocks, such as the superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) and the great auricular nerve block (GANB). Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of regional nerve blocks in adult patients undergoing different middle ear surgeries....
Surgeons and anesthesiologists performing middle ear procedures should consider this meta-analysis when updating perioperative pain protocols; audiologists in surgical teams may use findings to counsel patients on post-op recovery expectations.
High-quality evidence on regional anesthesia for middle ear surgery could standardize perioperative pain management and improve patient outcomes in otologic practice.
- 01Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs — the highest level of evidence design.
- 02GRADE assessment provides transparent quality-of-evidence ratings for each outcome.
- 03Outcomes evaluated include postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting after middle ear surgery.
- 04Published in Otology & Neurotology (2026), a leading peer-reviewed otologic journal.
- 05Findings are directly relevant to surgical teams rather than hearing-aid dispensing practice.
Regional nerve blocks are effective for managing postoperative pain in middle ear surgery.
studysupportedRegional nerve blocks reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting in middle ear surgery patients.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42456058
- DOI
- 10.1097/MAO.0000000000005006.
- Journal
- Otology & Neurotology
- Publication type
- meta_analysis
- Evidence level
- 1a
- Population
- Patients undergoing middle ear surgery
- Intervention
- Regional nerve blocks (perioperative)
- Comparator
- Control (no nerve block or standard analgesia)
Primary outcomes
Postoperative pain severity; Postoperative nausea; Postoperative vomiting