Trial of oxyphenbutazone for postoperative edema after bilateral herniorrhaphy

A double-blind controlled trial was carried out to test the value of oxyphenbutazone (Tandearil; Geigy Pharmaceuticals) in preventing the troublesome edema of external genitalia that may occasionally develop after bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy. Oxyphenbutazone, 200 mg., or a placebo identical in appearance, was given orally to each of 133 patients the day before their first operation and 300 mg. was administered on each subsequent day until discharge. The second operation was performed 48 hours after the first, and each patient was discharged 72 hours thereafter, at which time his edema was assessed. Strictly double-blind conditions governed distribution of tablets and assessment of edema. Sixty-eight patients received oxyphenbutazone and 65 the placebo. The degrees of edema observed in both groups were approximately the same. It is possible that mechanical factors associated with herniorrhaphy may help to produce edema, in addition to the ordinary tissue response to injury. No toxic reactions to oxyphenbutazone were observed.