The Effect of Pregabalin on Preoperative Anxiety and Postoperative Pain in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract

Background: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the preferred surgical technique for treating kidney stones. Preoperative anxiety is a common psychiatric symptom experienced by many patients undergoing surgery. We aimed to evaluate the effects of pregabalin administration on preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain in patients undergoing PCNL.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 104 patients who were scheduled for PCNL surgery and were randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 groups: placebo, 75 mg of pregabalin, 150 mg of pregabalin, or 300 mg of pregabalin. The anxiety level was measured using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HRSA), and the postoperative pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS). Methods such as the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used for the before-after test and the Kruskal Wallis Test was used for between-group time comparisons. The generalized estimation equation (GEE) and Poisson log-linear were used for the link function.

Results: After comparing the different doses of pregabalin to the placebo, no statistically significant relationships were detected (P=0.931 and P=0.886, respectively). In the group-time study of these patients, the pain level in all 4 groups decreased with time. This decrease in pain was statistically significant for most of the groups (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Administering pregabalin before PCNL surgery does not significantly reduce anxiety in patients before the procedure. However, preoperative administration of pregabalin has been found to be beneficial for alleviating postoperative pain in patients who have undergone PCNL surgery, with the optimal dosage of 75 mg pregabalin.