Rectus sheath block for diagnostic laparoscopy.

Sixty adult females of ASA grade 1 or 2 scheduled to undergo diagnostic laparoscopy were allocated randomly to one of two groups. In group A, laparoscopy was performed with a standardised general anaesthetic technique alone. In group B, the same general anaesthetic technique was supplemented with bilateral rectus sheath block. Postoperative analgesia was assessed at 1, 6 and 10 hours after operation. Visual analogue pain scores in group B were significantly lower than in group A despite a greater use of intramuscular analgesic injections in group A (p less than 0.005 in each case).