ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND This single-center study compared the effect of combined thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) and general anesthesia vs general anesthesia alone on postoperative stress and pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical nephrectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients undergoing laparoscopic radical nephrectomy were selected and randomized into a study group given TPVB combined with general anesthesia (n=43) and a reference group (n=43) given general anesthesia. The perioperative clinical indicators, blood pressure, pulse rate, visual analog scale (VAS) score, and adverse reactions were compared. RESULTS Perioperative clinical indicators of the study group (other than operation duration) were superior to those of the reference group (P<0.05). At 90 min in the operation, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse rate were lower than before anesthesia (t=7.691, 10.017, and 7.728, P<0.05). SBP, DBP, and pulse rate at 90 minutes during operation were significantly lower in the study group than in the reference group (t=7.582, 8.754, and 6.682, P<0.01). The study group had lower VAS scores both during activity and at rest 48 h after the operation than in the reference group (t=5.171 and 6.025, P<0.001). The total incidence of adverse reactions in the study group was lower than in the reference group (χ²=5.018, P=0.024). CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study from a single center showed that TPVB combined with general anesthesia for patients undergoing laparoscopic radical nephrectomy significantly reduced postoperative pain and stress.
