A clinical assessment of electroanalgesia following abdominal operations.

A prospective randomized controlled trial was performed to assess the value of transcutaneous electrical stimulation as an analgesic technique for postoperative pain. Forty patients who underwent cholecystectomy were studied. Patients in group A (control group) complained of more severe wound pain than either patients in group B (wound stimulation) or group C (remote stimulation). However, the treated groups showed no evidence of a significant reduction in opiate demand or of improved ventilatory function.