Comparison of post-operative pain relief following use of spinal anesthesia and general anesthesia for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Abstract

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to remove the gallbladder. The procedure is usually done under general anesthesia and takes about an hour. The present study was conducted to assess post-operative pain relief following use of spinal anesthesia and general anesthesia for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Materials & Methods: 48 patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy of both genders were divided into 2 groups of 24 each. Group I included subjects that underwent LC under general anesthesia, and group II included subjects that underwent LC under spinal anesthesia. Assessment of postoperative pain at the end of the surgery and at seven hours post-surgery was done with visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: Group I had 14 males and 10 females and group II had 13 males and 11 females. In group I and group II, at end of the surgery there was no pain in 6 and 4, mild pain in 7 and 5, severe pain in 11 and 15. 6 hours post-surgery there was no pain in 14 and 13, mild pain in 5 and 7 and severe pain in 5 and 4 in group I and II respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Spinal anesthesia is more effective in comparison to general anesthesia in reducing post- operative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.