Intraperitoneal bupivacaine for effective pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now widely practised. There are various methods of pain relief used but none has been assessed or compared following this procedure. We have assessed the analgesic effect of intraperitoneal bupivacaine in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Sixty consecutive patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Patients in group 1 were given 20 ml of saline injected under vision into the region of the gallbladder bed. Patients in group 2 were given 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine in a similar fashion. Postoperative pain was assessed with a visual analogue pain scale and the site of pain was recorded. Patients in the bupivacaine group had less pain in the early postoperative period and a lower incidence of pain in the right hypochondrium. Intraperitoneal bupivacaine is a simple and effective treatment for postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.