Spermatic-cord block improves analgesia for day-case testicular surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether the use of a spermatic-cord block contributes any additional analgesia to that of a conventional analgesic regimen in day-case testicular surgery.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

In a randomized, double-blind controlled study, 48 patients undergoing day-case testicular surgery received general anaesthesia together with fentanyl and diclofenac for analgesia. In addition, 22 of these patients received 10 mL of 0.5% plain bupivacaine into the spermatic cord at the conclusion of surgery. Visual-analogue pain scores were recorded for each group over the following 24 h.

RESULTS

The visual-analogue pain scores were significantly lower in the immediate recovery period in patients receiving the spermatic-cord block.

CONCLUSION

The spermatic-cord block reduced discomfort in the immediate post-operative period in patients undergoing testicular surgery and the procedure should be encouraged to improve the quality of post-operative pain management in such procedures.