The role of bupivacaine in early postoperative pain control after lumbar decompression

Object. The authors studied the effect of immediate postoperative administration of bupivacaine in patients who underwent a lumbar decompressive procedure. Methods. In this randomized double-blind trial, 50 patients who underwent elective lumbar decompression after induction of general anesthetic received a postoperative bilateral paravertebral 40-ml intramuscular application of either saline (0.9%) or bupivacaine (0.25%). For delivering morphine, both groups used a patient-controlled analgesia system for 24 hours postsurgery. Pain scores, 10-cm visual analog scale scores, and morphine consumption were similar between groups with no significant differences (p > 0.05). Conclusions. Results of subgroup analysis suggested strongly that perioperative administration of methylprednisolone in a sustained-release preparation was associated with a reduction in postoperative pain (p < 0.05).