Abdominal pain is one of the most common presenting chief complaints in the emergency department. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is an ultrasound-guided nerve block with proven effectiveness in treating visceral and somatic abdominal pain. Despite the increasing popularity of ESPB, its role in the management of nonsurgical abdominal pain has not yet been characterized. Our scoping review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the safety and efficacy of ESPB in the management of patients experiencing intractable, nonsurgical abdominal pain. We searched PubMed and Scopus to evaluate the existing literature on ESPB for nonsurgical abdominal pain. A total of 14 journal articles were included: 12 case-based studies, one systematic review, and one narrative review. All cases described the successful use of ESPB in treating abdominal pain refractory to oral or intravenous analgesic medications, and no complications were reported in any cases. This scoping review provides support for the use of ESPB to manage intractable, nonsurgical abdominal pain. ESPB has demonstrated efficacy in alleviating various conditions such as functional abdominal pain, renal colic, pancreatitis, herpetic pain, and cancer-related pain. Theoretical risks such as pneumothorax, bleeding, and infection are possible, although the studies reviewed did not report such complications.
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A Pilot Study Evaluating Erector Spinae Block Versus Saline For Emergency Department Patients With Ureterolithiasis Michael Secko, Daniel D. Singer, Gilbert Tetteh, Matthew Vitale, Benjamin Fombonne, Kristopher Bianconi, Rafael Fernandes, Andrea Gowie, Adam J. Singer The Journal of Emergency Medicine.2026; 83: 1. CrossRef
Efficacy of an erector spinae plane block for renal colic: a systematic review and meta-analysis Bart Gerard Jan Candel, Laura N Visser, Ewoud ter Avest, Milan L Ridderikhof, Bas De Groot, Rens Jacobs, Saskia Weltings, Rolf H H Groenwold, Leti van Bodegom, Wilbert B van den Hout, Marleen Kemper, Markus W Hollmann Emergency Medicine Journal.2025; 42(5): 317. CrossRef
Treatment of gastritis and gastroparesis symptoms with erector spinae plane block in the emergency department Richard J. Gawel, Michael Gottlieb, Frances S. Shofer, Michael Shalaby The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.2025; 96: 298.e1. CrossRef
The evolving role of truncal fascial plane blocks in non-surgical pain therapy: a narrative review Yi Gu, Yifan Qin, Jin Wu Frontiers in Medicine.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Erector Spinae plane block for analgesia in patients with acute pancreatitis: a scoping review Karim Sadik, Khang Duy Ricky Le, William Keenan Next Research.2025; 2(4): 100874. CrossRef
Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block in the Emergency Department: A Treatment for Intractable Sciatica Carlos A Gonzalez-Cobos, Miguel J Rosa Carrasquillo, Miguel F Agrait Gonzalez Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
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