BackgroundOpen inguinal hernia repair is associated with moderate postoperative pain, but optimal analgesia remains controversial. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available literature on the management of pain after... more
BackgroundOpen inguinal hernia repair is associated with moderate postoperative pain, but optimal analgesia remains controversial. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available literature on the management of pain after open hernia surgery.MethodsRandomized studies, in English, published between January 1966 and March 2009, assessing analgesic and anaesthetic interventions in adult open hernia surgery, and reporting pain scores, were retrieved from the Embase and MEDLINE databases. In addition to published evidence, clinical practice was taken into account to ensure that the recommendations had clinical validity.ResultsOf the 334 randomized studies identified, 79 were included. Quantitative analysis suggested that regional anaesthesia was superior to general anaesthesia for reducing postoperative pain. Spinal anaesthesia was associated with a higher incidence of urinary retention and increased time to home-readiness compared with regional anaesthesia.ConclusionFiel...
