Pericapsular nervegroup (PENG) block—a scoping review

Abstract

AbstractThe obturator nerve and its accessory branch supplying the hip region, unlike the femoral nerve, are not adequately anaesthetized by conventional regional anaesthetic techniques targeting the hip region. With advancements in ultrasound-guided regional anaesthetic techniques, interests are revived in the field and efforts are being made to block them together. One such successful attempt is the novel peri-capsular nerve group (PENG) block. Consequently, further research on the PENG block began to explore its versatilities. The present study undertakes a scoping review of research on the PENG block in humans for any indication to determine the extent of the research done, the methodologies used, and other practical issues addressed in the research. This will help to identify potential research gaps that should be addressed in the future. PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, KoreaMed, Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature, and the directory of open access journals were searched with the keyword “PENG block” and “pericapsular nerve group”. Manual search of electronically retrieved papers was also carried out. Among the 67 articles selected in our review, eighteen are case series; twenty-nine are case reports; two are randomized studies; one each of prospective cohort study, review, and cadaveric study; and 15 are editorials. However, only 64 articles were included later due to the retraction of three case reports. Data is insufficient to provide firm recommendations for or against different aspects of the block. The review encourages future work addressing different aspects of the PENG block.