Prediction of postoperative abdominal distension in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery: A...

Abdominal distension is a common postoperative complication among individuals undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery, with risk prediction often based on individualized factors. This study aimed to evaluate whether pain numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, alone or in combination with other risk factors, could reliably predict the early onset of abdominal distension induced by weakened intestinal peristalsis and incomplete residual gas absorption in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery.

A total of 961 patients who underwent gynecological laparoscopic surgery were recruited for the study. Pain NRS scores were compared between patients who developed postoperative abdominal distension and those who did not.

Patients who experienced abdominal distension had significantly higher pain NRS scores compared to those without this complication. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the pain NRS score was significantly associated with the risk of abdominal distension after laparoscopic surgery, independent of conventional risk factors. Women in the highest quartile of pain NRS scores exhibited an 8.75-fold greater risk of developing abdominal distension post-surgery compared to those in the lowest quartile (odds ratio 8.75, 95% confidence interval 2.43-31.58). Further, incorporating the pain NRS score into conventional prediction models significantly improved the area under the curve for predicting postoperative abdominal distension (0.772 vs 0.725, P = 0.019).

The findings of this study demonstrated a significant and independent association between pain NRS scores and the risk of postoperative abdominal distension following gynecological laparoscopic surgery. Integrating pain NRS scores with conventional prediction models might improve the accuracy of risk prediction for this complication.