Pain after laparoscopy: an observational study and a randomized trial of local anesthetic

Our objective was to determine if local anesthesia reduces pain after a laparoscopy. Eighty women were assigned randomly 10 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine or 0.9% saline flushed over the peritoneal folds and into the abdominal wall after laparoscopy under general anesthesia. Pain scores from the deep abdomen, skin, shoulder, and back were collected 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, and the day following laparoscopy. Pain scores also were correlated with patients' height, weight, operative findings, surgical technique and procedure, and volume of gas insufflated into the abdomen. Bupivacaine has a small effect on abdominal and skin pain 2 h after surgery (p = 0.01) but has no effect on shoulder or back discomfort. Women who have been sterilized, have not had previous abdominal surgery, or have evidence of old pelvic inflammation report more postoperative backache and deep abdominal pain but no greater skin or shoulder discomfort. Weight, height, whether the abdominal wall was picked up, and the volume of gas used to insufflate the abdomen are independent of all postoperative pain scores. Local anaesthetic instilled down the laparoscopy trocar reduces skin discomfort 2 h after surgery, but this beneficial effect is small compared with other factors influencing pain after laparoscopy.