Topical lidocaine spray for reducing pain during paracervical block administration in postmenopausal women undergoing manual vacuum aspiration: A randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of topical lidocaine versus placebo in reducing pain during manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) for endometrial sampling in patients with endometrial thickening, as measured by the visual analog scale (VAS).

METHODS

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled superiority trial conducted at Hospital Escuela, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. A total of 129 patients with endometrial thickening were randomized to receive either 10 % topical lidocaine spray or 0.9 % normal saline spray applied to the cervix prior to standard paracervical block. Pain was assessed using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) at five time points.

RESULTS

statistically significant reduction in mean VAS score was observed in the intervention group during administration of injectable lidocaine (6.6 ± 0.9 vs. 7.2 ± 0.7, p < 0.001). No significant differences were found at other time points. Despite statistical significance, the clinical relevance of the observed reduction warrants further study

CONCLUSION

The application of topical lidocaine spray is associated with a significant reduction in pain perception specifically during the injection of the paracervical block in patients undergoing MVA.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06784024.