Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2012 May;18(5):CR265-70.
doi: 10.12659/msm.882730.

Comparison of postoperative pain and satisfaction after dacryocystorhinostomy in patients operated on under local and general anesthesia

Miroslav M Knežević  1 , Gordana P Vlajković, Milenko Ž Stojković, Dejan M Rašić, Branislav R Stanković, Marija M Božić
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of postoperative pain and satisfaction after dacryocystorhinostomy in patients operated on under local and general anesthesia

Miroslav M Knežević et al. Med Sci Monit. 2012 May.

Abstract

Background: There has been only 1 study on postoperative pain after external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) that compared pain between 2 groups of patients; 1 group received local anesthesia and the other received general anesthesia. To further characterize the relationship between these 2 types of anesthesia and postoperative pain, we designed a study in which a single patient received these 2 different anesthesia modalities for a short interval on 2 different sides.

Material/methods: There were 50 participants in this study. External DCR was performed on the same participant on both sides using local anesthesia on 1 side and general anesthesia on the other. Postoperative pain was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS), and localization and timing of pain were reported by the participants. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) were documented if present.

Results: Pain levels were significantly higher with general anesthesia 3 hours post-surgery, and 6 hours post-surgery the pain remains higher following general anesthesia but is borderline insignificant (p=0.051). However, 12 hours post-surgery, there is no significant difference in the pain level (p=0.240). There was no significant difference in the localization of pain with local and general anesthesia. Postoperative nausea is significantly more frequent after general anesthesia, and vomiting only occurs with general anesthesia. Local anesthesia was preferred by 94% of the participants (47 out of 50).

Conclusions: The vast majority of patients in our study who have undergone both GA and LA DCR would choose LA again, providing a compelling case for use of the LA technique.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Level of pain after surgery.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Localization of pain after surgery.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Patients’ satisfaction with procedure under LA and GA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Hughes SM. The History of Lacrimal Surgery. Adv Ophthal Plastic & Reconstruct Surgery. 1986;5:139–68. - PubMed
    1. Caesar RH, Mc Nab AA. External dacryocystorhinostomy and local anesthesia. Technique to measure minimized blood loss. Opthal Plast Reconst Surg. 2004;20:57–59. - PubMed
    1. Moore WMH, Bentley CR, Olver JM. Functional and anatomic results after two types of endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy: surgical and holmium laser. Ophthalmology. 2002;109:1575–82. - PubMed
    1. Jordan DR. Avoiding blood loss in outpatient DCR. Opthal Plast Reconst Surg. 1991;7:261–66. - PubMed
    1. McNab AA, Simmie RJ. Effectiveness of local anesthesia for external dacryocystorhinostomy. Clin Experimental Ophthalmol. 2002;30:270–72. - PubMed

Publication types