Preemptive Analgesia for Abdominal Hysterectomy

Preemptive analgesia is defined as "analgesic intervention provided before surgery to prevent or reduce subsequent pain". By preventing central sensitization using nociceptive blockers by regional analgesia we may able to produce a painless postsurgical state. The use of preemptive analgesia was reported in various surgical procedures, such as in limb surgeries, laparoscopic procedures, mastectomy and vaginal hysterectomy. Regarding abdominal hysterectomy there are only few reports, however both, malignancies and benign cases were included and conflicting results were obtained regarding the value of preemptive analgesia. Since hysterectomy is the most frequent major surgical procedure performed in gynecology, and it is estimated that by age 64 years, 40 % of women will have had a hysterectomy, it would be of great value to optimize pain treatment in these patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of preemptive analgesia in women who undergo a transabdominal hysterectomy for benign uterine abnormalities. Hypothesis: Lidocaine (5%) injection to the scar area before incision is effective in pain reduction among women who undergo a transabdominal hysterectomy for benign uterine abnormalities .