The efficacy of periarticular drug infiltration for postoperative pain after total hip arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The ability of intraoperative periarticular drug infiltration (PDI) to control pain after total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been studied for many times, but it still remains controversial. Therefore, we undertook a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PDI on postoperative pain after THA. METHODS: Databases, including Pubmed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library, were searched to identify randomized controlled trials concerning PDI for pain management in patients undergoing THA. The primary outcomes included pain score with rest or activity and opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay and complications (nausea or vomiting). RESULTS: A total of 666 THA patients from 8 randomized controlled trials were subjected to meta-analysis. The results showed that the PDI group had better pain relief, less opioid consumption, and less length of hospital, when compared with the placebo group (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in regard to visual analog score with activity and complications between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: PDI may be recommended for the pain management after THA. However, due to the variations in the included studies, additional studies are still needed to validate these conclusions.