Postoperative Analgesic Efficacy of Preemptive and Postoperative Lornoxicam or Tramadol in Lumbar Disc Surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To compare preemptive and postoperative analgesic efficacy of tramadol and lornoxicam administered before anaesthesia induction in lumbar discectomy.

METHODS

This randomised, double-blind trial was conducted on 60 ASA I and II patients undergoing lumbar discectomy. Group L (n=30) received 3×8 mg day lornoxicam, and Group T (n=30) received 3×1.5 mg kg day tramadol. A verbal rating scale (VRS), the duration of effective analgesia, the number of additional analgesics used, adverse effects and patient satisfaction were evaluated at the postoperative 30 minute and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between Groups L and T regarding demographic and clinical characteristics, the number of additional analgesics and the duration of effective analgesia, adverse effects and patient satisfaction. VRS scores of the patients in Group T were significantly higher than those in Group L at the postoperative 30 minute (p=0.050) and the 1st hour (p=0.005).

CONCLUSION

Lornoxicam, which was used for preemptive and postoperative analgesia in lumbar disc surgery, had provided adequate and effective analgesia such as tramadol. Moreover, preemptive analgesia was quite effective in prevention and treatment of postoperative pain.