Closure or nonclosure of the peritoneum at gynecological operations. Effect on postoperative pain

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic requirement and pain scores in the postoperative period between closure and nonclosure of the peritoneum in women undergoing gynecological abdominal surgery.

METHODS: We conducted this study as a 2 parallel grouped, double blind, randomized, controlled trial between February 2002 and March 2003. The current study consists of 79 eligible women who were enrolled and completed baseline assessments. We carried out this study at the Cumhuriyet University Hospital, Sivas, Turkey.

RESULTS: When the age, gravidity, parity, body mass index, type of surgery, operative time and length of hospital stay were compared, between the 2 groups, no statistically significant difference was found (p>0.05). The postoperative pain was found higher in the closure group than the nonclosure group (p<0.05) when the pain with visual analogue scale (VAS) scores compared.

CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in analgesic requirements between the 2 groups in the postoperative period. However, less pain and low VAS scores were evident especially after postoperative 2nd and 48th hours in the nonclosure group. We recommend non-closure of peritoneum at abdominal gynecologic procedure as the method of choice.