TY - JOUR
T1 - Scalp nerve blocks decrease the severity of pain after craniotomy
AU - Nguyen, Anh
AU - Girard, François
AU - Boudreault, Daniel
AU - Fugère, François
AU - Ruel, Monique
AU - Moumdjian, Robert
AU - Bouthilier, Alain
AU - Caron, Jean Luc
AU - Bojanowski, Michel W.
AU - Girard, Dominic C.
PY - 2001/1/1
Y1 - 2001/1/1
N2 - Up to 80% of patients report moderate to severe pain after craniotomy. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of scalp block for decreasing postoperative pain in brain surgery. Thirty patients scheduled for supratentorial craniotomy were enrolled. They were randomly divided into two groups: Ropivacaine (scalp block with 20 mL of ropivacaine 0.75%) and Saline (scalp block with 20 mL of saline 0.9%). Anesthesia was standardized. The scalp block was performed after skin closure and before awakening. Postoperative pain was assessed at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48 h by using a 10-cm visual analog scale. Analgesia was provided with subcutaneous codeine as requested by the patient. Average visual analog scale scores were higher in the Saline group as compared with Ropivacaine (3.7 ± 2.4 vs 2.0 ± 1.6; P = 0.036). The total dose of codeine did not differ, nor did the duration of time before the first dose of codeine was required in the Ropivacaine (571 ± 765 min) versus Saline (319 ± 409 min; P = 0.17) group. In conclusion, we found that postoperative scalp block decreases the severity of pain after craniotomy and that this effect is long lasting, possibly through a preemptive mechanism.
AB - Up to 80% of patients report moderate to severe pain after craniotomy. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of scalp block for decreasing postoperative pain in brain surgery. Thirty patients scheduled for supratentorial craniotomy were enrolled. They were randomly divided into two groups: Ropivacaine (scalp block with 20 mL of ropivacaine 0.75%) and Saline (scalp block with 20 mL of saline 0.9%). Anesthesia was standardized. The scalp block was performed after skin closure and before awakening. Postoperative pain was assessed at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48 h by using a 10-cm visual analog scale. Analgesia was provided with subcutaneous codeine as requested by the patient. Average visual analog scale scores were higher in the Saline group as compared with Ropivacaine (3.7 ± 2.4 vs 2.0 ± 1.6; P = 0.036). The total dose of codeine did not differ, nor did the duration of time before the first dose of codeine was required in the Ropivacaine (571 ± 765 min) versus Saline (319 ± 409 min; P = 0.17) group. In conclusion, we found that postoperative scalp block decreases the severity of pain after craniotomy and that this effect is long lasting, possibly through a preemptive mechanism.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034752417&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0034752417&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/00000539-200111000-00048
DO - 10.1097/00000539-200111000-00048
M3 - Article
C2 - 11682413
AN - SCOPUS:0034752417
VL - 93
SP - 1272
EP - 1276
JO - Anesthesia and Analgesia
JF - Anesthesia and Analgesia
SN - 0003-2999
IS - 5
ER -