Author of

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  O09 - General Thoracic Surgery (ID 100)

  • Event: WCLC 2013
  • Type: Oral Abstract Session
  • Track: Surgery
  • Presentations: 1
  • Moderators:G.E. Darling, W. Weder
  • Coordinates: 10/28/2013, 16:15 - 17:45, Parkside Ballroom B, Level 1

  • 11387

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    O09.07 - Phase II Double-blind Randomized trial comparing Posterolateral Thoracotomy versus Nerve Sparing Thoracotomy for lung surgery (PoTNeST) - Impact of preservation of the neurovascular bundle during thoracotomy on post-operative pain (ID 2587)

    17:20 - 17:30  |  Author(s): V. Agarwal
    • Abstract
    • Presentation
    • Slides

    Background
    Posterolateral thoracotomy has been extensively used for non-cardiac thoracic surgery. Although this procedure provides excellent access for cancer surgery, it is responsible for considerable postoperative pain and contributes to postoperative pulmonary insufficiency. Post-thoracotomy pain has been reported to occur in 10 to 70% of patients. Intercostal nerve injury has been implicated as a major factor in the etiology of post-thoracotomy pain. We performed a study to compare post-thoracotomy pain in patients undergoing posterolateral thoracotomy with and without the preservation of the intercostal neurovascular bundle.

    Methods
    This randomized double-blind phase II trial was carried out in a tertiary-referral cancer centre. We included adult patients undergoing posterolateral thoracotomy for pulmonary resection. Patients were randomized into two groups – standard posterolateral thoracotomy (PoT) where no attempt was made to preserve the intercostals neurovascular bundle or modified nerve-sparing thoracotomy (NeST) which involved preservation of the intercostal neurovascular bundle while opening the intercostal space and closure by drilling holes in the lower rib, thereby avoiding pericostal sutures. All surgeries were performed under general anaesthesia with fentanyl, morphine, diclofenac and paracetamol for intra-operative analgesia. Post-operatively, all patients received round-the-clock paracetamol and diclofenac with an intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia pump for additional analgesia. Worst and average pain scores (on a Numerical Rating Scale) and morphine requirements on the first three post-operative days were assessed. Patients and assessors were blinded to study group. Chronic pain was assessed 6 months after surgery using a standard questionnaire. The primary outcome was the mean worst pain score over the first three post-operative days. Secondary outcomes were mean average pain score over the first three post-operative days, morphine consumption and incidence of post-thoracotomy pain at 6 months.

    Results
    We recruited 90 patients between May 2010 and July 2012. Groups were comparable in terms of age, gender, weight and type of surgery. There was no significant difference between the PoT and the NeST group in mean worst pain scores over the first three post-operative days (3.83 versus 3.71, difference 0.12, 99% CI -0.7 to 0.9). Mean average pain scores were also similar between the groups (1.85versus 1.77, difference 0.08, 99% CI -0.4 to 0.6) as was the mean morphine consumption in milligram per kilogram body weight (1.40 versus 1.45, difference of -0.05, 99% CI -0.4 to 0.3). Chronic pain was present in 18 of 39 assessable patients (46.1%) in the PoT group and 17 of 41 assessable patients (41.2%) in the NeST group (difference 4.7%, 99% CI -22.8% to 30.7%).

    Conclusion
    Preservation of the neurovascular bundle during thoracotomy using a modified nerve-sparing approach has no impact on acute or chronic post-thoracotomy pain or analgesic requirements as compared to a standard posterolateral approach.

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