RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To analyze pain scores after surgery in a group of patients submitted to inguinal hernia repair under peripheral nerve block with local or spinal anesthesia. METHODS: Fifty patients were divided into two groups (both with 25 patients each). In the first group the patients were submitted to herniorrhaphy under peripheral block and local anesthesia (LG) and in the other group the patients were submitted to the same procedure under spinal anesthesia (RG). The pain was assessed using the international visual analog pain scale at four different moments. The analysis cost of the procedure was performed using the hospital's average final cost, without including medical expenses. RESULTS: The groups were homogeneous in relation to the epidemiological and clinical features. There was no significant difference between the pain in the intraoperative period and in the return visit for both groups (p = 0.17 and p = 0.18). In the immediate postoperative period, both groups reported no pain at all. In general, the RG reported a greater pain score (16% for RG and 12% for LG). Complications were more frequent in patients submitted to spinal anesthesia (40% versus 8%) (p = 0.008). The surgical time was higher in the LG (39.3 ± 9.2 min) versus (28.7 ± 7.5 min) (p = 0.01). The average final cost of the procedure was US$ 100.98 for the LG and US$ 166.19 for the RG (p = 0.00). CONCLUSION: The inguinal hernioplastia under local anesthesia plus sedation is a safe method, with a low incidence of complications, great acceptance by patients and less expensive.