Turkish Neurosurgery 2014 , Vol 24 , Num 1
Preemptive Wound Infiltration in Lumbar Laminectomy for Postoperative Pain: Comparison of Bupivacaine and Levobupivacaine
Alp GURBET1, Ahmet BEKAR2, Hulya BILGIN1, Nurdan OZDEMIR1, Turgut KUYTU2
1Uludag University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Bursa, Turkey
2Uludag University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Bursa, Turkey
DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.8431-13.0 AIM: Patients usually suffer significant pain after lumbar laminectomy. Wound infiltration with local anesthetics is a useful method for postoperative pain control. Our aim was to compare the efficacies of preemptive wound infiltration with bupivacaine and levobupivacaine.

MATERIAL and METHODS: 60 patients were randomized three groups as follows: Group L wound infiltration with 20 mL 0.25% levobupivacaine and 40 mg methylprednisolone just before wound closure; Group B wound infiltration with 20 mL 0.25% bupivacaine and 40 mg methylprednisolone before closure; Group C had this region infiltrated with 20 ml physiological saline. Demographic data, vital signs, postoperative pain scores and morphine usage were recorded.

RESULTS: First analgesic requirement time was significantly shorter in the control group compared to other two groups (p<0.001). Group B had the lowest cumulative morphine consumption at the end of 24 hours within 0-4, 4-12 and 12-24 hours time intervals and the values were not significant when compared with Group L, however the consumption of both groups was significantly lower compared to the control group (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that preoperative infiltration of the wound site with bupivacaine or levobupivacaine provides similarly effective pain control with reduced opiate dose after unilateral lumbar laminectomy. Keywords : Lumbar laminectomy, Bupivacaine, Levobupivacaine, Postoperative pain

Corresponding author : Alp Gurbet, agurbet@uludag.edu.tr