The effect of flurbiprofen as prophylactic analgesic before hysterosalpingography

Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is associated with pain during the four-step procedure. This prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted to investigate the effect of the analgesic flurbiprofen, administered prior to HSG, in 60 women. Thirty women were randomized to receive 100 mg of flurbiprofen, orally, 1 h prior to HSG and a further 30 women were randomized to receive placebo. Injection of contrast medium was more painful than the other steps in the HSG procedure in both groups; however, there was no significant between-group difference in terms of pain experienced in the individual steps of HSG. Pain scores at 5 and 30 min after the procedure were compared between the two groups. There was a significant decrease in the visual analogue scale pain score in the flurbiprofen-treated group compared with the placebo-treated group at both time points. Thus, the authors recommend flurbiprofen as a prophylactic analgesic to be administered before HSG procedures.