Long-term memory of acute postsurgical pain

The long-term memory of acute postoperative pain intensity was evaluated in a population of patients who had undergone the removal of impacted third molar teeth. The results suggest a positive correlation between experienced and remembered intensities of postsurgical pain for up to 3 years after surgery. They also suggest that males and females do not differ significantly in their reports of postsurgical pain intensity, nor do they differ significantly in their memories of pain intensity. Pain recall using verbal pain descriptors was more reliable than recall with visual analog scales. Patient reports of intensity of past postsurgical acute pain, particularly those reports obtained with verbal descriptors, may be useful in the planning of treatment and in the selection and evaluation of analgesic regimens.