Objective To discuss the prophylactic effect of handling inguinal nerves correctly duing Lichtenstein inguinal hernia repair on chronic pain after operation. Methods 158 patients with inguinal hernia who were treated in our hospital from February 2007 to March 2010 were given Lichtenstein hernia repair. The ilioinguinal nerves were carefully identified and preserved during the operation, the nerve excision had been carried on only in the cases of existing nerve injuried or interference with the position of the mesh. Results The identification rate of iliohypogastric nerve, ilioinguinal nerve, and genital branch of genitofemoral nerve was 87.97%（139/158）, 82.28%（130/158）, and 34.18%（54/158）, respectively. The postoperative complication rate was 5.06%（8/158）, in which subcutaneous hydrops 5 cases, scrotal hematoma 2 cases, and wound infection 1 case, all recovered by conservative management. There was not inguinal hernia recurrence in 12 months of follow-up. In 1 month after operation, there were 63（39.87%） patients suffered from mild pain and 34（21.52%） patients suffered from moderate pain in inguinal region, there was no patient with severe pain, the mean pain score was 0.83. The incidence of chronic groin pain in 6 months was 5.06% （8/158）, in which 7（4.43%） patients suffered from mild pain, and 1（1/158） patient suffered from moderate pain. In 12 months, only 4（2.53%） patients still experience occasional pain or discomfort, the mean pain score was 0.03. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that neurectomy had no influence on postoperative pain（P＞0.05）and non-identification of ilioinguinal nerve was a risk factor for early（1 month） postoperative moderate pain（OR=3.373, P=0.030）. Conclusions Standard surgical procedure acted according to the Lichtenstein guidelines and handling inguinal nerves correctly can result in low incidence of chronic pain after operation, and can make the patients have a better quality of life.
ObjectiveTo compare the safety, effectiveness, and stability of 3D Max lightweight patch and standard patch in laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) herniorrhaphy. MethodsThe clinical data of 147 patients who underwent laparoscopic TAPP herniorrhaphy with 3D Max from May 2013 to May 2014 in this hospital were collected. Of all the patients, the lightweight patches were used in 75 patients (observation group), the standard patches were used in 72 patients (control group). The mean operative time, mean early postoperative ambulation time, mean bleeding volume, postoperative pain, postoperative foreign body sensation, complications, average hospital stay, and average costs were compared between these two groups. The postoperative pain point was determined by using visual analogue scale (VAS). The foreign body sensation of postoperative groin area was determined basing on the pain point. ResultsThere were no significant differences in the terms of the mean operation time, the mean early postoperative ambulation time, the mean bleeding volume, the average costs, and the average hospital stay between the observation group and the control group (P > 0.05). On postoperative 2 d, the pain point of the observation group was slightly lower than that of the control group, but there was no statistically significant difference between these two groups (P=0.132); On postoperative 1 month and 6 months, the postoperative pain points of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P=0.031, P=0.018). There was no recurrence of hernia and complications in the two groups. ConclusionsThe cost of 3D Max lightweight patch in laparoscopic TAPP herniorrhaphy application is slightly higher than that in standard patch, but it could alleviate postoperative pain, reduce postoperative foreign body sensation, and make patients feel more comfortable. It is safe, effective, and stable in clinical application of laparoscopic TAPP herniorrhaphy.
ObjectiveTo explore the causes and preventive measures of pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). MethodsDomestic and international literatures were collected to summary the causes and preventions of pain after LC. ResultsPain after LC had several origins:the irritative effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, residual pockets of CO2 in the abdominal cavity, peritoneal and diaphragmatic stretching and injury, and complications related to the operation. The main measures included:nitrous oxide (N2O) gas insufflation or abdominal wall lift, low-pressure of pneumoperitoneum, shortened the time of pneumoperitoneum, active gas aspiration, intra-abdominal instillation of isotonic saline, the use of local anesthesia as well as Traditional Chinese medicine. ConclusionsThe causes of pain after LC are multifactorial. It is the key to reduce postoperative pain that we should pay more attention to every perioperative aspect.
Objective To investigate the short-term postoperative pain between robot-assisted and thoracolaparoscopic McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma. Methods We prospectively analyzed clinical data of 77 patients with esophageal carcinoma in our hospital between September 2016 and February 2017. The patients were allocated into two groups including a robot group and a thoracolaparoscopic group. The patients underwent robot assisted McKeown esophagectomy in the robot group and thoracolaparoscopic McKeown esophagectomy in the thoracolaparoscopic group. There were 38 patients with 30 males and 8 females at average age of 60.80±6.20 years in the thoracolaparoscopic group, and 39 patients with 35 males and 4 females at average age of 60.90±7.20 years in the robot group. Results There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of the postoperative usage of analgesic drugs. The patients in the robot group experienced less postoperative pain on postoperative day 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 than the patients in the thoracolaparoscopic group. The mean value of visual analogue scale (VAS) on postoperative day 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 for the robot group and the thoracolaparoscopic group was 3.20±1.10 versus 2.70±0.90 (P=0.002), 2.75±0.96 versus 2.40±0.98 (P=0.030), 2.68±1.08 versus 2.02±0.8 (P=0.005); 2.49±0.99 versus 1.81±0.88 (P=0.003), 2.27±0.83 versus 1.51±0.61 (P<0.001), respectively. Conclusion Compared with the thoracolaparoscopic group, patients receiving robot assisted McKeown esophagectomy experience less postoperative short-term pain. However, the long-term postoperative pain for these patients needs to be further studied.
Objective To analyze the incidence and possible risk factors of the chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass via median sternotomy. Methods A total of 248 cardiac surgery patients (104 males, 144 females with age of 20–74 years) were enrolled in this single-center, prospective observational study. The severity of acute postoperative pain at first 7 days was evaluated by numeric rating scale (NRS) and pain at 30 days after surgery and CPSP at 3 and 6 months after surgery was evaluated with modified brief pain inventory. Results The CPSP at postoperative 6 months occurred in 45.2% (112/248) patients and 24.1% of them suffered moderate to severe pain (NRS≥4). The CPSP at postoperative 3 months occurred in 60.9% (151/248) patients and 25.8% of them suffered moderate to severe pain. Moderate to severe postoperative pain at postoperative 30 days and 3 months, and intraoperative remifentanil infusion were the risk factors of the CPSP at postoperative 6 months. Conclusion CPSP is common in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with median sternotomy. Moderate to severe postoperative pain at 30 days and 3 months, and intraoperative remifentanil infusion can predict the presence of CPSP at 6 months.