ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pain control is one of the most important factors for the patients that underwent the snoring surgery. This study was performed to investigate the effectiveness of intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain control after tonsillectomy with laser resection of palatopharynx. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this double-blind randomized study, 44 patient were randomly allocated to 2 groups. In the PCA group comprising 32 patients, fentanyl citrate, ketorolac tromethamine and zofran in normal saline solution were administered by PCA equipment. In the control group comprising 12 patients, normal saline solution was given without analgesic drug by PCA equipment. Visual analogue pain score (VAS) was recorded right after surgery and 2, 4, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours after surgery and satisfaction score was recorded just before discharge from the hospital. RESULTS: VAS was significantly higher in the control group of all time points. Overall satisfaction score was also higher in PCA group than control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that intravenous PCA is an effective method for postoperative pain control after tonsillectomy with laser resection of palatopharynx.