The efficacy of post-laparoscopic analgesia on chronic pain after cholecystectomy operation

INTRODUCTION: It has been reported that chronic pain syndrome occurs with an incidence of up to 41%. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the effect of analgesia methods applied in patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with the formation of neuropathic pain in the early and late post-operative period.
METHODS: A total of 246 individuals who had underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups. In the first group of patients, 100 mg tramadol hydrochloride was administered intravenously at 12-h intervals for analgesia in the first 24 h post-operatively. In the second group, analgesia was provided by applying a post-operative quadratus lumborum block (QLB). The primary outcomes of the study were based on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, leeds assessment of neuropathic symptoms and signs (LANSS) pain scale, and short form 36 (SF–36) rating scale and the secondary outcomes were based on post-operative time, analgesia method, and length of hospital stay.
RESULTS: When the VAS, SF–36, mental component score, and S–LANSS pre-operative values were compared, there was no statistical difference between the groups (p<0.05), while VAS, S–LANSS scores in the 6th month follow-up denoted significance, respectively, (p<0.001 and p=0.004). No correlation was found between gender (p=0.234), age (p=0.193), operation time (p=0.790), and S–LANSS scores, which are thought to be determining factors in the development of neuropathic pain. A negative correlation was detected between weight and S–LANSS scores (n=246, p=0.035, Pearson Rho: −0.135).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Considering the results of this study, it can be said that QLB is an effective method for the occurrence of neuropathic pain in both early and late post-operative periods.