Effect of Spinal and General Anesthesia on Postoperative Pain and Satisfaction in Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy (URSL).

PURPOSE: To compare general anesthesia (GA) with spinal anesthesia (SA) regarding postoperative pain and satisfaction after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Two hundred twenty-nine patients were analyzed in the study. Patients were assigned to two groups-SA and GA. Demographic data, stone characteristics, operation time, and frequency of opioid analgesic use during the admission period were collected from hospital medical records. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at 6 hours and 24 hours after URSL were recorded. Complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification and the experience of headaches after surgery (Yes/No) were documented after one month. Participants and surgeons were asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10.

RESULTS

Of 237 eligible patients, 229 completed the study. The incidence of headaches and VAS scores (at 6 h and 24 h) were significantly higher in the SA group (P < 0.001). Patient and surgeon satisfaction in the GA group were significantly higher (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that female sex was associated with lower opioid analgesic use during the admission period (odds ratio [OR] = 0.47), and surgery time correlated with frequency of opioid use and headache (OR = 1.12 and OR = 1.11, respectively).

CONCLUSION

GA was associated with better postoperative pain control after URSL and higher satisfaction levels for both surgeons and patients.