Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Persistent Postsurgical Pain Following Thoracotomy: A Comparison of Thoracic Epidural and Paravertebral Blockade as Preventive Analgesia.
Persistent postsurgical pain (PPP) is common following thoracotomy. Thoracic epidural (TEB) and paravertebral blockade (PVB) are both established forms of perioperative analgesia for thoracotomy. There is currently a lack of data on their influence on PPP; this study aims to evaluate both techniques on PPP. ⋯ There was no statistical difference in the development of persistent postsurgical pain between patients who received a TEB or a PVB; however, patients who developed PPP had a significantly lower quality of life, which was worse with a neuropathic component.