Abstract
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of laparoscopic uterine nerve ethanol neurolysis (LUNEN) for pain management in patients with chronic pelvic pain (CPP).
Methods: LUNEN, as a chemical neurolysis procedure, was performed on 22 subjects, and these were compared with 20 controls that had a diagnostic laparoscopy alone. Pre-treatment and postoperative 6th month Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores were estimated and a subjective pain evaluation questioning patients’ satisfaction about pain relief in the 6th month after surgery was also performed.
Results: A total of 31 (73.8%) out of 42 CPP patients had a laparoscopic pelvic pathology. Preoperative VAS scores were similar in the groups; however, the mean postoperative VAS score was significantly lower in the LUNEN group than in the control group (3.18 ± 2.88 vs. 5.35 ± 3.09; p=0.02). In the LUNEN group, the number of patients who stated that their pain was relieved partially or completely was also significantly higher than in the control group (82% vs. 40%, p=0.019).
Conclusion: LUNEN is a feasible, safe and effective surgical alternative to traditional surgical methods in patients suffering from CPP.
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Research Article
J Clin Exp Invest, Volume 7, Issue 1, March 2016, 7-13
https://doi.org/10.5799/jcei.328658
Publication date: 01 Mar 2016
Article Views: 2402
Article Downloads: 1210
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