Late Postoperative Pain Research Articles

Correlation of Preoperative State Anxiety and Pain Six Weeks After Surgical Correction of Pectus Excavatum.

BackgroundPain is a major concern in the early postoperative phase after correction of pectus excavatum. Most studies only focus on pain management in the first days after surgery and describe methods to alleviate the pain immediately postoperatively. The severity of postoperative pain may be influenced by anxiety. So far, few studies have looked into the relationship between anxiety and postoperative pain after pectus excavatum correction.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the correlation between preoperative anxiety and late postoperative pain scores.MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study. Anxiety was assessed with the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire. Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain scores assessed the pain at rest and activity. Anxiety was measured before surgery and pain scores six weeks after surgery. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the correlation between baseline anxiety and pain measurements six weeks after surgery.ResultsIn this study, 136 patients were included. State anxiety was not associated with postoperative pain (mean of pain on activity and in rest), only with pain on activity after six weeks. Age and sex were not effect modifiers in any of the models. Relevant confounding factors, although not significant, consisted of trait, sex, minor complications, epidural duration, major complications, and the number of stabilizer plates. The explained variance of state anxiety on VAS for pain scores was minimum after 6 weeks.ConclusionsPreoperative anxiety does not appear to influence postoperative pain after PE correction.

Closure of the fascial defect during laparoscopic umbilical hernia repair: a randomized clinical trial

The objective of the study was to analyse patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), seroma formation, long-term recurrence and chronic pain after closure of the fascial defect in patients undergoing laparoscopic umbilical hernia mesh repair. This was a randomized double-blinded trial in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic umbilical hernia repair comparing sutured closure of the fascial defect before intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) repair with a no-closure IPOM repair. Postoperative pain, movement limitations, discomfort and fatigue were registered before surgery and on postoperative days 1-3, 7 and 30. Seroma formation, quality of life and cosmesis were assessed at day 30, and at 2 years of follow-up. Recurrence (clinical and reoperation) and chronic pain were assessed after 2 years. Eighty patients were randomized. Median defect sizes in closure and no-closure groups were 2·5 (range 1·5-4·0) and 2·5 (2·0-5·5)cm respectively (P=0·895). There were no significant differences in early and late postoperative pain or in any other early or late PROMs, except for early fatigue which was higher in the closure group (P=0·011). Seroma formation after 30 days was significantly reduced after closure (14 of 40; 35 (95 per cent c.i. 22 to 51) per cent) compared with no closure (22 of 38; 58 (42 to 72) per cent) (P=0·043). Cumulative recurrence after 2 years was lower in the closure group: 5 of 36 (7 (3 to 17) per cent) versus 12 of 37 (19 (10 to 33) per cent) for no closure (P=0·047). Closure of the fascial defect in laparoscopic umbilical hernia IPOM repair significantly reduced early seroma formation and long-term recurrence without inducing side-effects such as pain, or other early or late PROMs. Registration number: NCT01962480 ( https://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Electrocautery versus cold steel tonsillectomy comparison study

Objective: the objective of this study was to compare the intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative time, postoperative pain and secondary hemorrhage between electrodissection and cold steel dissection tonsillectomy.
 Methods: One hundred and six patients were enrolled in this study, the patients were randomly allocated into electrodissection group A (n=51) and cold steel dissection tonsillectomy group B (n=53). All patients are above 7 years and had history of recurrent tonsillitis and/or tonsillar hypertrophy with obstructive symptoms. Intraoperative parameters and postoperative outcome were assessed.
 Results: In group A patients had statically significant less operative time and blood loss than group B early postoperative pain was not differ significantly between the two groups, however late onset pain (pain on the 7th day) was significantly higher in group A. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding secondary hemorrhage.
 Conclusion: Electrodissection tonsillectomy is rapid, safe and effective method of tonsillectomy with obvious advantage of minimum perioperative blood loss, lower operative time and without early post-operative pain difference when compared to cold steel dissection tonsillectomy. Although it has some disadvantage of late postoperative pain.

Comparison between Lichtenstein procedure using polypropylene mesh and self-fixating mesh for management of primary inguinal hernia in adult male patients in terms of chronic postoperative pain: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-gripping mesh compared with standard polypropylene mesh (PM) in treating primary inguinal hernia in adult male patients in terms of chronic postoperative pain. Patients and methods One hundred male patients with primary inguinal hernia were randomly allocated into two groups: group I included 50 patients (mean age, 35.92±13.21 years) who were treated with the standard PM and group B included 50 patients (mean age, 36.60±13.12 years) who were treated with the self-fixating mesh (SF). Results Recurrence was encountered in only one patient in the PM group and in one patient of the SF group. Visual analog scale showed significant less early and late postoperative pain in the SF group compared with the PM group. The operative time for the SF group (47.54±6.51 min) was significantly shorter compared with the PM group (58.82 ±11.90 min). Both PM and SF groups showed no significant differences as regards hospital stay (0.78± 0.53 vs.0.74±0.31 days), time to return to domestic activity (1.96±1.16 vs. 1.66±0.80 days), time to return to work activity (7.34±2.17 vs. 6.98±1.66 days), and early postoperative complications. Conclusion After 1 year follow-up, in Lichtenstein repair, using the Self-gripping ProGrip mesh showed significant less chronic postoperative pain compared with the standard PM. The use of Self-gripping ProGrip mesh was also associated with a significantly less operative time.

Peritonsillar dexamethasone-bupivacaine vs. bupivacaine infiltration for post-tonsillectomy pain relief in children: a randomized, double-blind, controlled study.

Post-tonsillectomy pain is one of the most frequent morbidities of tonsillectomy surgery. Currently, there is no standard protocol for post-tonsillectomy pain control. In our study, we aimed to compare the effects of perioperative peritonsillar dexamethasone-bupivacaine and bupivacaine-alone infiltration on pain control in pediatric patients. This prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial was conducted between February 2018 and May 2018 in a single-center tertiary education and research hospital, otorhinolaryngology/head and neck surgery clinic, under general anesthesia, which included 120 pediatric patients between the ages of 2-12 (mean 5.7 ± 1.8), and who were with ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) I-II classification. Patients were randomly divided into three groups as 40 participants in each group. Group 1 consisted of patients who were injected with dexamethasone-bupivacaine into their peritonsillar region, group 2 consisted of patients who were injected with bupivacaine only, and group 3 consisted of patients who were injected with saline only as the control group. FLACC (face, legs, activity, cry, consolability) Scale and Wong-Baker FACES® Pain Rating Scale (WBS) were used for early and late period postoperative pain scoring. Patients with pain score ≥ 4 were treated with paracetamol rescue analgesia. Side effects such as nausea, vomiting and bleeding were recorded. Data of all groups were compared statistically and p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of demographic data, duration of operation and duration of anesthesia. The pain scores of group 1 were significantly lower than those of the control group except for postoperative 45th min, 2nd day and 3rd day. The pain scores of the group 1 were significantly lower at all times except for the postoperative 12th and 24th hour, than those of group 2. The pain scores of the group 2 were lower than the control group only at postoperative 7th day, but no significant difference was found at other times. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of requirement rates for the first 60min recovery analgesia (p = 0.686). No statistical difference was found between the groups in terms of side effects. In our study, preoperative local dexamethasone-bupivacaine infiltration in pediatric patients was shown to be more effective than bupivacaine-only and serum-only infiltration for early and late post-tonsillectomy pain control.

Effect of submucosal dexamethasone injections in the prevention of early and late post-operative pain, trismus and oedema associated with mandibular third molar extractions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Effect of submucosal dexamethasone injections in the prevention of early and late post-operative pain, trismus and oedema associated with mandibular third molar extractions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Video-assisted anal fistula treatment in the management of fistula-in-ano: A 3-year experience

Background: Fistula-in-ano and especially the high and complicated type is still one of the difficult surgical problems to solve. The new promising technique, video-assisted anal fistula treatment (VAAFT) was done first by Professor P. Meinero in 2006. Objective: The objective of the study was to describe the technique and the encouraging result of VAAFT. Materials and Methods: Using Karl Storz Company fistuloscope, 200 patients with anal fistulas were treated in Babylon Private Hospital in Al Hilla (Center of Babylon Governorate). This was done in two phases: diagnostic phase including visualization of fistula tract and identification of internal opening, followed by the operative phase by cauterization, curettage of the tract, irrigation using 1% mannitol solution, and closure of the internal opening using no. 1 Vicryl (polyglactin). Results: From the 200 patients with anal fistulas, 40 patients (20%) had undergone classical fistula surgery. No major complications were recorded. Early and late postoperative pain and discomfort were mild. The cases followed up at 6 weeks and 3 months postoperatively. Primary healing rate was 70% at 12 weeks and 74% at 3-month follow-up. The overall healing rate percent after 1 year was 80%. Conclusion: VAAFT is a safe, sphincter-saving, painless procedure and can be done as a day case with promising preliminary results, and we can repeat the treatment till cure is achieved.

A prospective study comparing preservation of ilioinguinal nerve with neurectomy in open mesh repair of inguinal hernia

Background: Postoperative pain after open mesh repair of inguinal hernia is an important challenge. Such type of pain sometimes does not respond to medical treatment including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opiates. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of preservation or division of the Ilioinguinal nerve on pain and post-operative symptoms, after open mesh repair of inguinal hernia.Methods: All patients undergoing surgery for tension free Lichtenstein mesh repair over a period of 1 year were included. Patients below the age of 18 years and patients with bilateral or recurrent hernias were excluded.Results: In present study of 42 patients, early mean postoperative pain at day 1 was 1.8 on VAS scale in ilioinguinal neurectomised patient compared to 1.5 in nerve preserved group (P=0.1408). Postoperative pain at week 1 was 1.25 in neurectomised patients compared to 1.32 in nerve preserved group (P=0.7161). Late Postoperative pain and chronic groin pain was 0.6 and 0.25 at 1 and 3 months respectively in ilioinguinal neurectomised patients as compared to 1.05 and 0.77 at 1 and 3 months respectively in nerve preserved group (P=0.0184 at 1month and P=0.0335 at 3 months).Conclusions: The difference in postoperative pain at day 1 and at week 1 was not significant and both groups had equal pain. Late postoperative pain (at 1 month) and chronic groin pain (at 3 months) was significantly low in ilioinguinal neurectomised patient compared to nerve preserved group.

Pre-emptive and preventive opioids for postoperative pain in adults undergoing all types of surgery.

Postoperative pain is a common consequence of surgery and can have deleterious effects. It has been suggested that the administration of opioid analgesia before a painful stimulus may improve pain control. This can be done in two ways. We defined 'preventive opioids' as opioids administered before incision and continued postoperatively, and 'pre-emptive opioids' as opioids given before incision but not continued postoperatively. Both pre-emptive and preventive analgesia involve the initiation of an analgesic agent prior to surgical incision with the aim of reducing intraoperative nociception and therefore postoperative pain. To assess the efficacy of preventive and pre-emptive opioids for reducing postoperative pain in adults undergoing all types of surgery. We searched the following electronic databases: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, and CINAHL (up to 18 March 2018). In addition, we searched for unpublished studies in three clinical trial databases, conference proceedings, grey literature databases, and reference lists of retrieved articles. We did not apply any restrictions on language or date of publication. We included parallel-group randomized controlled trials (RCTs) only. We included participants aged over 15 years old undergoing any type of surgery. We defined postincision opioids as the same intervention administered after incision whether single dose (as comparator with pre-emptive analgesia) or continued postoperatively (as comparator with preventive analgesia) (control group). We considered studies that did and did not use a double-dummy placebo (e.g. intervention group received active drug before incision and placebo after incision; control group received placebo before incision and active drug after incision). We used the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Our primary outcomes were: early acute postoperative pain (measured within six hours and reported on a 0-to-10 scale) and respiratory depression. Our secondary outcomes included: late acute postoperative pain (24 to 48 hours and reported on a 0-to-10 scale), 24-hour morphine consumption, and adverse events (intraoperative bradycardia and hypotension). We used GRADE to assess the quality of the evidence for each outcome. We included 20 RCTs, including one unpublished study with 1343 participants. Two studies were awaiting classification as the full text for these studies was not available. One study evaluated pre-emptive opioids, and 19 studies evaluated preventive opioids. We considered only one study to be at low risk of bias for most domains. The surgeries and opioids used varied, although roughly half of the included studies were conducted in abdominal hysterectomy, and around a quarter used morphine as the intervention. All studies were conducted in secondary care.Pre-emptive opioids compared to postincision opioidsFor pre-emptive opioids in dental surgery, there may be a reduction in early acute postoperative pain (mean difference (MD) -1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.75 to -0.65; 40 participants; 1 study; low-quality evidence). This study did not report on adverse events (respiratory depression, bradycardia, or hypotension). There may be a reduction in late acute postoperative pain (MD -2.10, 95% CI -2.57 to -1.63; 40 participants; 1 study; low-quality evidence). This study did not report 24-hour morphine consumption.Preventive opioids compared to postincision opioidsFor preventive opioids, there was probably no reduction in early acute postoperative pain (MD 0.11, 95% CI -0.32 to 0.53; 706 participants; 10 studies; I2 = 61%; moderate-quality evidence). There were no events of respiratory depression in four studies (433 participants). There was no important reduction in late acute postoperative pain (MD -0.06, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.01; 668 participants; 9 studies; I2 = 0%; moderate-quality evidence). There may be a small reduction in 24-hour morphine consumption (MD -4.91 mg, 95% CI -9.39 mg to -0.44 mg; 526 participants; 11 studies; I2 = 82%; very low-quality evidence). There may be similar rates of bradycardia (risk ratio (RR) 0.33, 95% CI 0.01 to 7.88; 112 participants; 2 studies; I2 = 0%; low-quality evidence) and hypotension (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.25 to 4.73; 88 participants; 2 studies; I2 = 0%; low-quality evidence). Due to the low quality of the evidence, we are uncertain whether pre-emptive opioids reduce postoperative pain. Based on the trials conducted thus far, there was no clear evidence that preventive opioids result in reductions in pain scores. It was unclear if there was a reduction in morphine consumption due to very low-quality of evidence. Too few studies reported adverse events to be able to draw any definitive conclusions. Once assessed, the two studies awaiting classification may alter the conclusions of the review.

Post-Operative Outcomes of Intravenous Lidocaine Infusion on Major Abdominal Surgery in Pediatric Patients: A Randomized Control Trial in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Post-operative outcomes of a major abdominal surgery depend on careful & effective post-operative management. But it is a critical job especially in children. Obtaining adequate analgesia after major surgery is a problematic issue and postoperative pain still imposes a major burden of suffering in surgical patients.Objectives: The principle objectives of the study is to evaluate the effects of intravenous lidocaine infusion in pain management of pediatric population undergone in major abdominal surgery; to reduce post-operative morbidity & enhance better surgical outcome in children.Methodology: This is a randomized control trial carried out from January 2015-June2015,in a tertiary care hospital among 60 cases of 4 to 14 years children with major abdominal surgery without having any pulmonary, cardiac, hepatic or renal insufficiency. Grouping of patients that is lidocaine infusion group (Group A) and control group (Group B) was made among admitted cases for elective abdominal surgery by simple random technique by means of lottery. For assessment of postoperative pain FLACC Scale was used in both groups. Clinical examination findings & specifically designed data collection sheet with a set questionnaire were used as research instruments. Formulated data was analyzed by SPSS version 17, taking p value <0.05 as significant.Results: It is noted that, after 24 hours of operation most of the patients 56.7% of group A had mild pain whereas 90% patients of group B had moderate pain (p<0.001)& during that time there was no patient with severe pain in group A whereas in group B 10% patients were with severe pain. At 48 hours, pain was absent in 13.3% children of group A and 6.7% in group B. In group A most of the children 76.7%had mild pain compared to moderate pain 18 (60%) in group B children at that hours (P<0.001). Again, regarding required amount of analgesics, patients received I/V lidocaine required less amount of analgesics than its counterpart. In present study, complications was noted only 3.3% patien in group A, where as in the opposite group it was found in 23.3% & p was <0.05. In group A, in 50% patients post operative bowel sound was returned within 72 hours, compared to 73.3% patients in group B. The p value was 0.001. About post-operative hospital stay, 83.3% children of the group A were released from hospital after 5th P.O.D whereas, in group B, only 50% children were released after 7th P.O.D of operation. The P value was 0.03 that is also significant.Conclusion: Intravenous lidocaine could improve immediate and late post-operative pain with early recovery after major abdominal surgery in children & it can contribute to rapid postoperative rehabilitation programs.J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll, June 2018, Vol.10(1); 23-27

Comparison between Cyanoacrylate, Sutureless and Polypropylene Sutures in Mesh Fixation on Lichtenstein Tension free in repair of Open Inguinal Hernia

Background: inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common operations in general surgery. The Lichtenstein tension-free operation has become gold standard in open inguinal hernia repair. Despite the low recurrence rates; postoperative pain and discomfort remain a problem for a large number of patients. Aim of the work: the aim of this study is to compare between cyanoacrylate, sutureless and polypropylene sutures in mesh fixation on lichtenstein tension free in repair of open inguinal hernia regard as postoperative pain, infection, recurrence,& cost benefit. Methods: a total of thirty patients with primary unilateral uncomplicated inguinal hernia were randomized to undergo lichtenstein tension free hernioplasty, and were randomized using close envelope into three groups: Group A: Inguinal hernioplasty with mesh fixation using polypropylene sutures (10 patients), Group B: Inguinal hernioplasty with mesh fixation using cyanoacrylate glue (10 patients) and Group C: Inguinal hernioplasty with mesh placement without sutures (10 patients). Primary outcome was early and late postoperative pain. Secondary endpoints were use of painkillers after 24 hours, morbidity rate and recurrence rate. Follow-up time was 6 months. Results: significantly, less postoperative pain was reported in group B compared to the other two groups (A&C). Additionally, trends toward a higher postoperative quality of life, a faster surgical procedure, and a shorter hospital stay and earlier return to daily activities were seen in patients within group(B).Clinical recurrence was reported in only one patient in Group C after a period of four months follow up postoperatively. Conclusion: cyanoacrylate glue seemed to be a simple, original, reasonable, feasible, reproducible technique and competitive alternative to the standard tissue-penetrating meshfixation devices in open inguinal hernioplasty. It is accompanied by a reduction in chronic inguinal pain, with no increase in the early recurrence rate.

Proximal carpal crease incision for carpal tunnel release: a pilot study

Limited palmar incision (PI) is the standard approach for treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Proximal carpal crease incision (CI) is an investigated alternative. The aim of our study was to evaluate safety and results of PI and CI approaches. A prospective, randomised, open label pilot study was carried out in the period of November 2011–November 2017. A total of 104 patients were randomised into two groups according to the incision: group 1 (CI) had 33 patients and group 2 (PI) had 71 patients. Measured characteristics are the following: safety, severity of pain, DASH score, hand grip and pinch strength, two-point discrimination test and Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test. Data were collected 1 h before surgery, in the early (2–3 weeks after surgery) and late (3–4 months after surgery) post-operative periods. A significance level of 0.05 was considered for testing statistical hypotheses. We found that CI results in lower early (p = 0.064) and late (p = 0.033) post-operative period pain and better hand function: lower DASH score in early (p = 0.005) and late (p = 0.047) post-operative period and stronger hand pinch in early post-operative period (p = 0.037). However, hand grip strength, two-point discrimination and Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test did not reveal any significant differences between the study groups. No major complications appeared in both study groups; thus, both incisions were considered safe. Pilot study suggests that CI is a safe alternative treatment method of the carpal tunnel syndrome resulting in faster patient recovery after carpal tunnel release. Level of Evidence: Level I, therapeutic study.

Fixation free femoral hernia repair with a 3D dynamic responsive implant. A case series report

BackgroundTo date, no gold standard for the surgical treatment of femoral hernia exists. Pure tissue repair as well as mesh/plug implantation, open or laparoscopic, are the most performed methods. Nevertheless, all these techniques need sutures or mesh fixation. This implies the risk of damaging sensitive structures of the femoral area, along with complications related to tissue tear and postoperative discomfort consequent to poor quality mesh incorporation. The present retrospective multicenter case series highlights the results of femoral hernia repair procedures performed with a 3D dynamic responsive implant in a cohort of 32 patients during a mean follow up of 27 months. Materials and methodsAiming to simplify the surgical procedure and reduce complications, a 3D dynamic responsive implant was delivered for femoral hernia repair, in a patient cohort. After returning the hernia sack to the abdominal cavity, the implant was simply delivered into the hernia defect where it remained, thanks to its inherent centrifugal expansion, obliterating the hernia opening without need of fixation. Postoperative pain assessment was determined using the VAS score system. ResultsThe use of the 3D prosthetic device allowed for easier and faster surgical repair in a fixation free fashion. None of the typical fixation related complications occurred in the examined patients. Postoperative pain assessment with VAS score showed a very low level of pain, allowing the return of patients to normal activities in extremely reduced times. In the late postoperative period, no discomfort or chronic pain was reported. ConclusionsFemoral hernia repair with the 3D dynamic revealed a quick and safe placement procedure. The reduced pain intensity, as well as the absence of adverse events consequent to sutures or mesh fixation, seems to be a significant benefit of the motile compliance of the device. Furthermore, this 3D prosthesis has already proven to induce an enhanced probiotic response showing ingrowth in the implant of the typical tissue components of the abdominal wall, instead of the low quality tissue ingrowth typical in conventional meshes and plugs. The highlighted features seem to represent a more physiologic and updated repair concept of femoral protrusions.

Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal repair of inguinal hernia using three-dimensional mesh: a 5 years experience at a tertiary care hospital in Kashmir, India

Background: Inguinal hernia repair by laparoscopy is gaining acceptance worldwide. A flat mesh used in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is associated with more complications especially early and late postoperative pain owing to the need of mechanical fixation of this mesh. A three-dimensional mesh in this context is an emerging alternative which needs no or minimal fixation.Methods: A retrospective study of 123 patients was carried out from July 2012 to August 2017. All patients who underwent TEP by a single surgical team using three-dimensional mesh were included in the study. Data collected was analysed retrospectively.Results: Out of a total of 123 patients, 114 patients had unilateral hernia and 9 had bilateral hernia. A total of 132 laparoscopic hernia repairs were done using three-dimensional mesh. All the patients were male aged 29 to 75 years with a mean age of 51.5 years. Indirect hernias were more common comprising of 87.7%. The mean operative time was 46.9 minutes. The average mesh fixation time was 12.6 minutes. No major intraoperative complications were noted in any of the patients. Three patients (2.45%) experienced severe postoperative pain. Most of the patients 117 (95.12%) were discharged within 24 hours of surgery. Mean hospital stay in our study was 1 day. The mean length of follow-up was 12 months. Mild persistent groin pain was found in four patients (3.25%). Seroma was noted in five patients (4.06%). Hematoma and wound infection was noted in none. One patient (0.81%) had recurrence after completion of follow up. We found use of 3D mesh costly.Conclusions: Laparoscopic inguinal mesh hernioplasty using 3D mesh is a viable alternative of hernioplasty with minimal post-operative pain and recurrence and using 3D mesh has a technical advantage of easy insertion in an anatomically correct position with minimal fixation.

Cyanoacrylate Glue Mesh Fixation versus Suture Mesh Fixation in Open Inguinal Hernia Repair

Aim of the work: surgical sealants (adhesives) have been widely used in surgery to prevent air leaks (from holes in diseased soft tissues such as lung), liquid leaks (including hemostasis, as for oozing) and as adhesives (to bond two separate tissues, but very rarely). They have many advantages over traditional techniques (i.e., sutures and staples) such as reducing both operative time and physical load on patients. Sutures have been most extensively used for wound closure, though they have shortcomings such as the highly skilled procedures involved, the long time required for wound closure, and the postoperative removal of non-bioabsorbable Sutures. Methods: forty male patients with primary unilateral groin hernia were randomized to undergo open hernia repair with suture fixation (Group B) or cyanoacrylate glue fixation of the mesh (Group A). Primary outcome was early and late postoperative pain. Secondary endpoints were use of painkillers after 24 hours, morbidity rate and recurrence rate. Results: early postoperative pain and pain between 48 hours and 1 month after surgery were significantly lower in Group A. Only two patients had chronic pain and both were in Group B. Clinical recurrences were two, both in Group B. Conclusion: cyanoacrylate seemed to be a simple, original, reasonable, feasible, reproducible technique and competitive alternative to the standard tissue-penetrating mesh fixation devices in open inguinal hernioplasty. It is accompanied by a reduction in chronic inguinal pain, with no increase in the early recurrence rate.

Manipulative rehabilitation applied soon after lumbar disc surgery improves late post-operative functional disability: A preliminary 2-year follow-up study.

Studies have shown late post-operative physical disability and residual pain in patients following lumbar disc surgery despite growing evidence of its beneficial effects. Therefore, rehabilitation is required to minimise the late post-operative complications. To assess the feasibility of manipulative rehabilitation to improve late post-operative outcomes. Twenty-one patients aged 25-65 years undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy were randomly assigned to the rehabilitation group (n= 14) or active control group (n= 7) by simple randomisation. Eight rehabilitation sessions were initiated 2-3 weeks after surgery. Thirty-minute sessions were conducted twice weekly for four weeks. Post-operative physical disability and pain were assessed at baseline and at the two-year follow-up. Post-operative physical disability improved more in patients who had undergone rehabilitation than in those who had received control care (63% vs. -23%, P< 0.05). Post-operative residual low back and leg pain were alleviated in the treatment group (26% and 57%, respectively), but intensified in the control group (-5% and -8%, respectively). This study demonstrated the potential of manipulative rehabilitation and importance of post-operative management after lumbar disc surgery. Definitive trials with larger sample sizes are required to confirm the feasibility and potential therapeutic effectiveness of this approach.

MR imaging in patients with male-to-female sex reassignment surgery: postoperative anatomy and complications

To investigate the role of MRI in the evaluation of both the new female anatomy and complications in male-to-female sex reassignment surgery (MtF-SRS). 71 consecutive patients with MtF-SRS had 74 MRI [age range, 21-63 years; mean (±standard deviation) age, 36 ± 10 years; median age, 37 years]. In 47 patients, MRI was performed to rule out early post-operative complications after gender conversion (n = 40), vaginoplasty (n = 6) or remodelling of the labia majora (n = 1). In 27 patients, MRI was performed 1-20 years after MtF-SRS for late post-operative complications, pain or dysuria, inflammatory changes or poor cosmetic outcome. Three patients had MRI both before and after the operation. MRI allowed investigation of the new female anatomy in all cases. Soon after MtF-SRS, a small amount of blood was identified in all patients around the neoclitoris, urethral plaque and labia. Post-operative complications were clinically significant fluid collections (n = 5), labial abscesses (n = 2), severe cellulitis (n = 3), partial neovaginal prolapse (n = 3), focal necrosis and dehiscence of the vaginal wall (n = 2) and hypovascularization of the neoclitoris (n = 1). After ileal vaginoplasty, three patients developed clinically insignificant haematomas, one a large rectovaginal fistula with dehiscence of the intestinal anastomosis and bowel perforation (n = 1). In the 27 patients investigated 1-20 years after MfF-SRS, MRI demonstrated cavernosal remnants (n = 10), spared testis (n = 1) neovaginal strictures (n = 8), fistulas and abscesses (n = 3) and prolapse (n = 2). Three of these patients also had fibrotic changes. In the remaining three patients, no pathological features were identified. After genital reconfiguration, MRI allows assessment of the post-operative anatomy and of post-operative complications. Advances in knowledge: Imaging features of the new anatomy and of surgical complications after SRS are discussed and illustrated.

Single versus multiple visits for endodontic treatment of permanent teeth.

Root canal treatment (RoCT), or endodontic treatment, is a common procedure in dentistry. The main indications for RoCT are irreversible pulpitis and necrosis of the dental pulp caused by carious processes, tooth cracks or chips, or dental trauma. Successful RoCT is characterised by an absence of symptoms (i.e. pain) and clinical signs (i.e. swelling and sinus tract) in teeth without radiographic evidence of periodontal involvement (i.e. normal periodontal ligament). The success of RoCT depends on a number of variables related to the preoperative condition of the tooth, as well as the endodontic procedures. This review updates the previous version published in 2007. To determine whether completion of root canal treatment (RoCT) in a single visit or over two or more visits, with or without medication, makes any difference in term of effectiveness or complications. We searched the following electronic databases: Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register (to 14 June 2016), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (the Cochrane Library, 2016, Issue 5), MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to 14 June 2016), and Embase Ovid (1980 to 14 June 2016). We searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform for ongoing trials to 14 June 2016. We did not place any restrictions on the language or date of publication when searching the electronic databases. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs of people needing RoCT. We excluded surgical endodontic treatment. The outcomes of interest were tooth extraction for endodontic problems; radiological failure after at least one year, i.e. periapical radiolucency; postoperative pain; swelling or flare-up; painkiller use; sinus track or fistula formation; and complications (composite outcome including any adverse event). We collected data using a specially designed extraction form. We contacted trial authors for further details where these were unclear. We assessed the risk of bias in the studies using the Cochrane tool and we assessed the quality of the body of evidence using GRADE criteria. When valid and relevant data were collected, we undertook a meta-analysis of the data using the random-effects model. For dichotomous outcomes, we calculated risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For continuous data, we calculated mean differences (MDs) and 95% CIs. We examined potential sources of heterogeneity. We conducted subgroup analyses for necrotic and vital teeth. We included 25 RCTs in the review, with a total of 3780 participants, of whom we analysed 3751. We judged three studies to be at low risk of bias, 14 at high risk, and eight as unclear.Only one study reported data on tooth extraction due to endodontic problems. This study found no difference between treatment in one visit or treatment over multiple visits (1/117 single-visit participants lost a tooth versus 2/103 multiple-visit participants; odds ratio (OR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 4.78; very low-quality evidence).We found no evidence of a difference between single-visit and multiple-visit treatment in terms of radiological failure (risk ratio (RR) 0.91, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.21; 1493 participants, 11 studies, I2 = 18%; low-quality evidence); immediate postoperative pain (dichotomous outcome) (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.17; 1560 participants, 9 studies, I2 = 33%; moderate-quality evidence); swelling or flare-up incidence (RR 1.36, 95% CI 0.66 to 2.81; 281 participants, 4 studies, I2 = 0%; low-quality evidence); sinus tract or fistula formation (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.15 to 6.48; 345 participants, 2 studies, I2 = 0%; low-quality evidence); or complications (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.11; 1686 participants, 10 studies, I2 = 18%; moderate-quality evidence).The studies suggested people undergoing RoCT in a single visit may be more likely to experience pain in the first week than those whose RoCT was over multiple visits (RR 1.50, 95% CI 0.99 to 2.28; 1383 participants, 8 studies, I2 = 54%), though the quality of the evidence for this finding is low.Moderate-quality evidence showed people undergoing RoCT in a single visit were more likely to use painkillers than those receiving treatment over multiple visits (RR 2.35, 95% CI 1.60 to 3.45; 648 participants, 4 studies, I2 = 0%). There is no evidence to suggest that one treatment regimen (single-visit or multiple-visit root canal treatment) is better than the other. Neither can prevent all short- and long-term complications. On the basis of the available evidence, it seems likely that the benefit of a single-visit treatment, in terms of time and convenience, for both patient and dentist, has the cost of a higher frequency of late postoperative pain (and as a consequence, painkiller use).

Local analgesic effect of tramadol is mediated by opioid receptors in late postoperative pain after plantar incision in rats.

Tramadol is a drug used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is known to present a peripheral effect, but the local mechanisms underlying its actions remain unclear. The role of peripheral opioid receptors in postoperative pain is not well understood. In the present study, we examined the peripheral opioid receptors to determine the local effect of tramadol in a plantar incision pain model. Rats were subjected to plantar incision and divided into four groups on postoperative day (POD) 1: SF_SF, 0.9% NaCl injected into the right hindpaw; SF_TraI, 0.9% NaCl and tramadol injected into the right hindpaw; SF_TraC, 0.9% NaCl and tramadol injected into the contralateral hindpaw; and Nal_Tra, naloxone and tramadol injected into the ipsilateral hindpaw. To determine the animals’ nociceptive threshold, mechanical hyperalgesia was measured before incision, on POD1 before treatment and at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after the incision. The same procedure was repeated on the POD2. The expression levels of μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and δ-opioid receptor (DOR) were obtained through immunoblotting assays in the lumbar dorsal root ganglia (L3–L6) in naïve rats and 1, 2, 3, and 7 days after the incision. Our results showed that the plantar incision was able to cause an increase in mechanical hyperalgesia and that tramadol reversed this hyperalgesia on POD1 and POD2. Tramadol injections in the contralateral paw did not affect the animals’ nociceptive threshold. Naloxone was able to antagonize the tramadol effect partially on POD1 and completely on POD2. The DOR expression increased on POD2, POD3, and POD7, whereas the MOR expression did not change. Together, our results show that tramadol promoted a local analgesic effect in the postoperative pain model that was antagonized by naloxone in POD2, alongside the increase of DOR expression.

Abstract PR267

Background & Objectives: Caudal epidural block (CEB) is a commonly performed neuraxial technique for providing analgesia in children scheduled for lower abdominal surgery. Although the efficacy of CEB is fairly high,the associated complications,such as, inadvertent dural puncture, unwarranted lower limb motor blockade,and bladder function disturbance limits its use.While the advantages of ultrasound-guided Transversus Abdominis Plane(TAP) block such as reduction in pain intensity/analgesic requirements is well documented in adults post-surgery, in children, its use as a primary postoperative analgesia technique remains limited.We conducted this randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of CEB versus ultrasound-guided TAP block for providing postoperative analgesia in children undergoing lower abdominal surgery.The primary objective of our study was to compare the duration-of- postoperative analgesia. The secondary objectives were comparative assessment (TAP vs CEB) of quality of postoperative pain relief, and rescue analgesia requirements. Materials & Methods: Eighty-children, aged 2-6 years, of ASA physical status I/II, scheduled to undergo unilateral lower abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia (GA) were recruited in this prospective randomized-controlled study.The children were randomly allocated to receive either CEB (Group-C, 0.75-ml/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine) or ultrasound-guided TAP block (Group-T, 0.5-ml/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine).Intraoperatively:heart rate and non-invasive blood pressure, and postoperatively:duration-of-postoperative analgesia,quality-of-pain relief, and rescue analgesia requirements were recorded. Results: The median duration-of-postoperative analgesia in children who received CEB was significantly greater than those who were administered TAP block (group-C:362.5-minutes versus group-T:210-minutes; p<0.05). No difference was found in the incidence of ‘early’ postoperative pain (group-C:47.2% versus group-T:55.9%; p>0.05). The children who received CEB experienced greater incidence of ‘late’ postoperative pain than those administered TAP-block (group- C:75% versus group-T:44.1%; p<0.05).The number of children not requiring any rescue analgesia in the first 24-hours postoperatively were significantly higher in the ‘TAP’ group (group-C:n=2 versus group-T: n=8; p<0.05). Conclusion: In children undergoing unilateral lower abdominal surgery, while, CEB provides a significantly prolonged duration-of-analgesia, ultrasound-guided TAP block seems to be superior to CEB for late postoperative pain relief. Study published in journal of clinical anesthesia.