Design: 129 patients scheduled for elective lumbar discectomy in 2010-2013 were enrolled in prospective study. Group K (n=20) underwent general anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia on-demand. Group PMA+SA (n=23) got subarachnoid block and preventive multimodal analgesia (PMA) including ketoprofen, paracetamol and nalbuphine. At PMA group (n=21) general anaesthesia and PMA were used; at PMA+I (n=21) also bupivacaine wound infiltration was administrated; at PlvL4+S (n=20) - depo-corticosteroid was applied locally on affected spinal nerve root; at PMA+IS (n=24) wound infiltration and local corticosteroids were combined. Patients could use i.v. nalbuphine on-demand by PCA device in addition to PMA post-operatively. 7 days post-operatively, the pain scores using 10 cm VAS at rest and during movement were also recorded.
Results: Group K patients had not adequate pain relief during 4 postoperative days. At PMA group the postoperative analgesia was adequate during the whole assessment time, PMA group patients had significant less pain scores than at K group during 4 postoperative days. Patients at PM +SA had better than PMA group pain relief only during 2 hours postoperatively. Groups PMA+I and PMA+IS did not demand nalbuphine at al. Their pain scores were signifcant less than at PMA group during 2 postoperative days.
Conclusions: Postoperative analgesia on-demand is not adequate but the PMA is. Subarachnoid block results in decreasing severity of pain only during first hours postoperatively. The additional bupivacaine wound infiltration in pa- tients with lumbar herniated disc follows avoiding of opioids and significant pain relief during 2 postoperative days.