1. What data in particular will be shared?
   Response - Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after de-identification (text, tables, figures, and appendices).
   


2. What additional supporting information will be shared?
   Response - Clinical Study Report
   
   
3. Who will be able to view these files?
   Response - Researchers whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee identified for this purpose.
   


4. For what types of analyses will this data be available?
   Response - For individual participant data meta-analysis.
   


5. By what mechanism will data be made available?
   Response - Proposals should be directed to [sonika.shivakumar@gmail.com].
   


6. For how long will this data be available start date provided 22-04-2024 and end date provided 22-04-2029?
   Response - Beginning 3 months and ending 5 years following article publication.
   


7. Any URL or additional information regarding plan/policy for sharing IPD? 
   Additional Information - NIL

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is currently the frequently employed surgical procedure for the removal of large complex renal and proximal ureteric calculi. Being minimally invasive it has less morbidity, and allows early recovery and ambulation after surgery. Postoperative pain following PCNL has both visceral and somatic components. Visceral component arises from the kidney, renal capsule and ureter, while the somatic component from the skin incision and the nephrostomy tract. The nephrostomy tube that is inserted at the end of the procedure can elicit inflammatory reaction leading to pain and discomfort. 

Although PCNL is a minimally invasive procedure, postoperative pain can be severe and inadequate postoperative analgesia is a barrier to early recovery after surgery. Systemic analgesics like opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol form the mainstay for providing pain relief. However, opioids are associated with side effects like nausea, vomiting, pruritus, constipation, and respiratory depression, while NSAIDs may be relatively contraindicated in these patients who may have compromised renal function.

Regional anaesthetic techniques like intercostal nerve block, paravertebral block, epidural analgesia, peritubal infiltration and subcutaneous infiltration have been employed for providing postoperative analgesia following PCNL.Erector spinae plane [ESP] block is a recently described interfascial  plane block for providing postoperative analgesia following thoracic and abdominal surgeries.Its use for providing pain relief following PCNL is recently been described in literature,  However , there is paucity of literature providing its efficacy following PCNL surgery. Hence, the present study is designed to evaluate its role in providing postoperative analgesia following PCNL.