Evaluation of postoperative pain after sinonasal surgery

Pain after sinonasal surgery concerns both patients and surgeons. Factors affecting sinonasal postoperative pain have not been examined extensively.

Using a prospective survey design, sinonasal surgery patients evaluated postoperative pain (on a scale of 0-10), pain location, and medication use.

One hundred twenty-seven patients consented to participate. One hundred fifteen patients returned surveys, with 100 patients appropriate for analysis over the 6-day postoperative period. Pain score and medication use were evaluated with respect to sex, primary/revision case, nasal packing, and other factors. Repeated measures analysis of variance and chi-square analysis were conducted (p < 0.05). Pain ratings and analgesic use declined significantly over the postoperative period (p < 0.05). Mean pain score on postoperative day (POD) 1 was 3.61 and on POD 6 was 1.72. Mean medication use was 1.37 tablets on POD 1 and 0.55 tablets on POD 6. Additionally, a significant interaction existed, such that narcotic medication use declined from 1.91 tablets on POD 1 to 0.52 tablets on POD 6, whereas nonnarcotic medication use remained steady (p < 0.05). Periorbital pain was most frequent (46.3%), with unilateral facial pain reported least (4.1%). A significant difference existed for distribution of pain location (p < 0.05). Finally, the difference in pain rating between primary and revision procedure for women (0.65) was less than for men (1.12); this interaction was significant (p < 0.05).

Multiple patient and operative factors affect pain rating and medication use after sinonasal surgery. Generally, pain level should be low with little analgesic use postoperatively.