Background: Acute postoperative pain and chronic discomfort are reported after robotic or endoscopic thyroidectomy. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, and double-blinded clinical trial was to investigate whether intraoperative infusion of nefopam decreases acute postoperative pain and chronic discomfort following either a robotic or endoscopic thyroidectomy via the bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA).
Methods: Patients were randomized into two groups: The control group (n = 29) or the nefopam group (n = 29). Patients in each group were infused with the same volume of saline or nefopam (0.2 mg/kg bolus, 120 μg/kg/h continuous infusion) during surgery. Acute postoperative pain, the need for rescue analgesics, and other postoperative adverse effects were assessed at 1, 6, 24, and 48 h postoperatively. Chronic pain and discomfort was recorded at 3 months after surgery.
Results: Patients in the nefopam group reported lower pain scores in the neck, as well as the axilla and anterior chest areas at 1, 6, 24, and 48 h postoperatively, when compared with the control group (P < 0.05 at each time points). Rescue analgesics were required less in the nefopam group than in the control group (1.4 [1] vs. 2.3 [1.5]; P = 0.001). The degree of chronic pain and discomfort were relatively lower in the nefopam group (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: We report that intravenous nefopam infusion during surgery decreased acute postoperative pain and the need for rescue analgesics, as well as chronic discomfort, following BABA robotic or endoscopic thyroidectomy without adverse events.