| E.1 Medical condition or disease under investigation | 
| E.1.1 | Medical condition(s) being investigated |  | 
| E.1.1.1 | Medical condition in easily understood language | 
| Postoperative pain following radical prostatectomy for carcinoma of prostate gland. |  | 
| E.1.1.2 | Therapeutic area | Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment [E] - Anesthesia and Analgesia [E03] | 
| MedDRA Classification | 
| E.1.2 Medical condition or disease under investigation | 
| 
| E.1.2 | Version | 15.0 |  
| E.1.2 | Level | LLT |  
| E.1.2 | Classification code | 10054711 |  
| E.1.2 | Term | Postoperative pain |  
| E.1.2 | System Organ Class | 10022117 - Injury, poisoning and procedural complications |  | 
| E.1.3 | Condition being studied is a rare disease | No | 
| E.2 Objective of the trial | 
| E.2.1 | Main objective of the trial | 
| A promising alternative approach to the provision of postoperative analgesia following abdominal incision is to block the entire sensory nerve supply to the anterior abdominal wall. We have recently described the Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block, a reliable approach to the blockade of the neural afferents to the anterior abdominal wall. In this study, we aim to compare the analgesic efficacy of  TAP block to epidural blockade in the first 72 postoperative hours by monitoring pain score, in patients undergoing retropubic prostatectomy, in a randomized controlled single blind clinical trial.
 |  | 
| E.2.2 | Secondary objectives of the trial | 
| Morphine used in 72 hours Levobupivacaine used in 72 hours
 Sedation
 Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
 Itch
 Hemodynamic data
 Patient Satisfaction
 Systemic absorption of Levobupivacaine
 Effect on the stress response to surgery
 
 
 |  | 
| E.2.3 | Trial contains a sub-study | No | 
| E.3 | Principal inclusion criteria | 
| Adults aged 18 to 80 years old Presenting for elective retropubic prostatectomy
 Written Informed Consent
 ASA Grade 1 to 3
 
 |  | 
| E.4 | Principal exclusion criteria | 
| Patient refusal Outside Age Range
 Contraindication to neuraxial anaesthesia
 Allergy to Levobupivacaine, morphine, paracetamol, diclofenac sodium
 Skin lesions/infection at site of injection
 Renal or other organ dysfunction
 Sepsis
 Psychosis
 
 |  | 
| E.5 End points | 
| E.5.1 | Primary end point(s) | 
| Severity of Postoperative Pain [VAS and Categorical pain Scales]. 
 
 |  | 
| E.5.1.1 | Timepoint(s) of evaluation of this end point | 
| Postoperatively at 1hr, 2hr, 4hr, 6hr, 12hr, 24hr, 48hr, 72hr. |  | 
| E.5.2 | Secondary end point(s) | 
| Morphine used in 72 hours Levobupivacaine used in 72 hours
 Sedation
 Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting, Itch
 Hemodynamic data
 Patient Satisfaction
 Systemic absorption of Levobupivacaine
 Effect on the stress response to surgery
 |  | 
| E.5.2.1 | Timepoint(s) of evaluation of this end point | 
| Postoperatively at 1hr, 2hr, 4hr, 6hr, 12hr, 24hr, 48hr, 72hr. |  | 
| E.6 and E.7 Scope of the trial | 
| E.6 | Scope of the trial | 
| E.6.1 | Diagnosis | No | 
| E.6.2 | Prophylaxis | No | 
| E.6.3 | Therapy | Yes | 
| E.6.4 | Safety | No | 
| E.6.5 | Efficacy | Yes | 
| E.6.6 | Pharmacokinetic | Yes | 
| E.6.7 | Pharmacodynamic | No | 
| E.6.8 | Bioequivalence | No | 
| E.6.9 | Dose response | No | 
| E.6.10 | Pharmacogenetic | No | 
| E.6.11 | Pharmacogenomic | No | 
| E.6.12 | Pharmacoeconomic | No | 
| E.6.13 | Others | No | 
| E.7 | Trial type and phase | 
| E.7.1 | Human pharmacology (Phase I) | No | 
| E.7.1.1 | First administration to humans | No | 
| E.7.1.2 | Bioequivalence study | Information not present in EudraCT | 
| E.7.1.3 | Other | No | 
| E.7.1.3.1 | Other trial type description |  | 
| E.7.2 | Therapeutic exploratory (Phase II) | No | 
| E.7.3 | Therapeutic confirmatory (Phase III) | No | 
| E.7.4 | Therapeutic use (Phase IV) | Yes | 
| E.8 Design of the trial | 
| E.8.1 | Controlled | Yes | 
| E.8.1.1 | Randomised | Yes | 
| E.8.1.2 | Open | No | 
| E.8.1.3 | Single blind | Yes | 
| E.8.1.4 | Double blind | No | 
| E.8.1.5 | Parallel group | No | 
| E.8.1.6 | Cross over | No | 
| E.8.1.7 | Other | No | 
| E.8.2 | Comparator of controlled trial | 
| E.8.2.1 | Other medicinal product(s) | No | 
| E.8.2.2 | Placebo | No | 
| E.8.2.3 | Other | Yes | 
| E.8.2.3.1 | Comparator description | 
| Same IMP given via epidural |  | 
| E.8.3 | The trial involves single site in the Member State concerned | No | 
| E.8.4 | The trial involves multiple sites in the Member State concerned | Yes | 
| E.8.4.1 | Number of sites anticipated in Member State concerned | 3 | 
| E.8.5 | The trial involves multiple Member States | No | 
| E.8.6 Trial involving sites outside the EEA | 
| E.8.6.1 | Trial being conducted both within and outside the EEA | No | 
| E.8.6.2 | Trial being conducted completely outside of the EEA | Information not present in EudraCT | 
| E.8.7 | Trial has a data monitoring committee | No | 
| E.8.8 | Definition of the end of the trial and justification where it is not the last
                        visit of the last subject undergoing the trial | 
| We have recently demonstrated the analgesic efficacy of the TAP block in adults undergoing abdominal surgery. Based on this study, in order to demonstrate a difference of 25% in post-operative total analgesia consumption following abdominal surgery, at the 0.05 level of significance with a power of 0.8, we will require a minimum of 50 patients in each group. We will end recruitment once 100 patients have been enrolled. |  | 
| E.8.9 Initial estimate of the duration of the trial | 
| E.8.9.1 | In the Member State concerned years | 2 | 
| E.8.9.1 | In the Member State concerned months |  | 
| E.8.9.1 | In the Member State concerned days |  | 
| E.8.9.2 | In all countries concerned by the trial years | 2 |