Pain perception following different neurosurgical procedures: a quantitative prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Pain following neurosurgery has never been given due attention. OBJECTIVE: This was a prospective study to assess pain following various neurosurgical procedures. METHODS: Patients underwent pain assessment on 11-point scale(0-10) for 24 hours following neurosurgery, and analyzed in relation to various factors. RESULTS: Among total 159 patients, 88(55%), 58(37%) and 13(8%) had undergone cranial, spinal and peripheral nerve procedures respectively. The mean pain score within 12 hours was 3.51(SD ± 2.53), which increased significantly during 13-24 hours to 5.06(SD ± 2.6)(P<0.001). During 13-24 hours, the pain score among those who underwent infratentorial procedures (8.02 ± 2.77) was significantly higher than among those who underwent supratentorial procedures (3.48 ± 1.99)(P<0.001). The pain score of patients who underwent lumbar surgery (6.5 ± 1.93) was significantly higher than of those who underwent cervical surgery (4.04 ± 2.43)(P<0.001). Age and gender did not show any significant influence on pain. CONCLUSION: Pain is significantly greater during 13-24 hours after neurosurgery, especially after infratentorial and lumbar surgical procedures, compared to others.