Efficacy of oral diclofenac as preemptive analgesic for pterygium surgery

Abstract

Objective: To determine the efficacy of oral diclofenac as preemptive analgesic for pterygium excision.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial was carried out involving 30 patients diagnosed with pterygium. They were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or oral diclofenac. A single surgeon performed the same technique of pterygium excision. Pain scores were determined using visual-analog-scale (VAS) questionnaires handed out to participants 30 minutes and 24 hours after surgery. Collected data were analyzed using two-tailed t-test, chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test.

Results: There was no statistical difference between VAS pain scores in both groups in the intra- (p = 0.33) and postoperative periods (p = 0.46). No statistically significant difference was noted on the intake (p = 0.68) and dose (0.18) of supplemental analgesia. There appeared to be a trend for lower pain scores in the intraoperative (VAS = 2.00 ± 1.89 for diclofenac vs. 2.73 ± 2.22 for control) and postoperative (VAS = 3.86 ± 2.92 for diclofenac vs. 4.60 ± 2.44 for control) periods with intake of diclofenac. This group also took less supplemental analgesics.

Conclusion: The preemptive use of oral diclofenac showed a trend toward less intra-and postoperative pain, and less need for supplemental analgesics after pterygium surgery.