• Isaak Kesisoglou, Theodossis S Papavramidis, Nick Michalopoulos, Konstantinos Ioannidis, Anastasia Trikoupi, Konstantinos Sapalidis, and Spiros T Papavramidis.
• Third Department of Surgery, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
• Head Neck. 2010 Aug 1;32(8):984-8.

BackgroundPain after thyroid surgery is of moderate intensity and short duration. Bilaterally superficial cervical plexus block (BSCPB) may reduce analgesic requirements. However, its effectiveness in decreasing pain after thyroidectomy is debated.MethodsThis double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study in 100 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy evaluates the effects of BSCPB done with 20 mL of 0.75% ropivacaine. Additional parecoxib was administrated immediately postoperatively and 12 hours later.ResultsPostoperative pain was assessed by visual analogue rating scale. All parameters were recorded at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. The control group had higher values than the ropivacaine group at all moments (p < .05) except H12 (p = .76). Additional analgesia was needed for 7 patients (14%) in the control group and for 8 patients (16%) in the group with ropivacaine (p = .96).ConclusionTwo-point bilateral BSCPB has a major analgesic effect on patients after total thyroidectomy, with a statistically significant reduction in postoperative pain scores. However, no significant difference was noted in the proportion of patients that required additional analgesics.2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2010.

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