Background: We examined the influence of preoperative pain on postoperative pain chronification in urological patients.
Methods: Pain was determined before operation, immediately afterwards and 3 or 6 months post-surgically. Acute and chronic pain was analysed in detail with regard to severity, grade of chronification and pain intensity. We also assessed patients with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Results: Patients with preoperative pain reported postoperatively higher pain scores compared to patients without preoperative pain. Patients with higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores reported higher pain scores for the first 7 days after the operation. Three months after surgery 51.2% of all patients and 6 months after surgery 1.2% of all patients reported about pain.
Conclusion: Our results give evidence to the fact that preexisting pain prior to surgery has an influence on the postoperative pain course. To avoid chronification adequate therapy of the preexisting pain should be carried out.