A comparison of postoperative analgesia provided by wound infiltration or caudal analgesia.

A prospective randomised study was performed to compare postoperative analgesia produced by caudal block with that of local wound infiltration in 54 children following unilateral inguinal herniotomy. There was no statistically significant difference in the analgesia produced by these two methods. The requirement for additional postoperative analgesia and the incidence of side-effects was similar in the two groups.