The effect of Pre-incision skin infiltration with Lidocaine on postoperative pain following abdominal hysterectomy

 Introduction: Several mehods have been proposed to alleviate pain after hysterectomy. Pre-emptive analgesia has been used to relieve pain following abdominal hysterectomy with conflicting results. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of pre-incision skin infiltration of Lidocaine in relieving postoperative pain in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy.  Methods: 60 patients with ASA class of I or II scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy were recruited for the study. The patients were randomly assigned to receive pre-incision skin infiltration of either lidocaine or normal saline. The patients were evaluated with respect to postoperative pain scores and analgesic requirements in the first two postoperative days. They were also asked for satisfaction regarding the pain relief intervention. Results: The patients were similar with respect to demographic characteristics. Patients in the saline group complained of more pain than the lidocaine group in the recovery room(p<0.001). However, the patients were similar with respect to postoperative pain scores and analgesic requirements. They were also similar regarding satisfaction rates during the first 24 hours postoperatively.  Conclusions: We conclude that pre-incision skin infiltration of lidocaine is not effective in reducing postoperative pain following abdominal hysterectomy and does not affect the patients’ satisfaction.