Clinical study on lorazepam for treating postoperative pain of wound after spinal meningioma surgery

Objective To estimate the effect of lorazepam in relieving postoperative wound pain and anxiety after spinal meningioma surgery.  Methods A total of 106 patients underwent spinal meningioma resection with endotracheal general anesthesia. They were randomly divided into lorazepam group (N = 53) and control group (N = 53). Patients in lorazepam group were given lorazepam 0.50 mg one night before surgery and 6 h after surgery, while control group were given compound vitamin B at the same time. Operation time, intraoperative bleeding and wound healing after surgery were recorded. McCormick grade and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate the spinal function and anxiety. At 48 h after surgery, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of postoperative pain.  Results All patients underwent tumor total resection, and spent the perioperative period safely. No complications such as infection happened. Neurological function were relieved to varying degrees and there was no worsening case. Compared with control group, SAS score in lorazepam group was significantly decreased at 48 h after surgery ( P = 0.000). Compared with before surgery, SAS score in lorazepam group was significantly decreased at 48 h after surgery ( P = 0.000). The VAS score at 48 h after surgery in lorazepam group was significantly lower than control group [(5.40 ± 1.24) score vs. (7.15 ± 1.12) score; t = 7.593, P = 0.000].  Conclusions Lorazepam as an antianxiety agent can effectively relieve postoperative pain after spinal meningioma resection. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.12.011