Efficacy of local infiltration analgesia with ropivacaine for postoperative pain management in cervical laminoplasty: a retrospective study

Poor postoperative pain control impairs patient recovery and lengthens the duration of hospitalization after various surgeries. Local infiltration analgesia(LIA) has become an effective method for managing postoperative pain. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of LIA with ropivacaine for postoperative pain control after cervical laminoplasty. In total, 68 patients undergoing cervical laminoplasty were included for retrospective review and divided into ropivacaine and control groups. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, postoperative analgesic consumption, operative duration, intraoperative blood loss volume, incision length, hospitalization duration and incidence of complications were analyzed. In the ropivacaine group, the VAS score was 3.2 ± 1.4 at 4 hours postoperatively, which was lower than that of the control group(4.0 ± 1.4, P = 0.024). At 8, 12 and 24 hours after surgery, a significant difference was detected in the VAS score between the two groups(P ≤ 0.015). Sufentanil consumption was less in the ropivacaine group than in the control group in the first 4 hours postoperatively (25.6 ± 6.3 µg vs 32.2 ± 6.8 µg, P < 0.001), and similar results were observed in the first 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours postoperatively(P < 0.001). Fewer patients required rescue analgesia in the ropivacaine group(8/33 vs 18/35 at 4–8 hours, P = 0.021; 9/33 vs 21/35 at 8–12 hours, P = 0.007). The hospitalization duration and time to ambulation were shorter in the ropivacaine group(8.5 ± 1.4 vs 9.6 ± 1.6 for postoperative duration, P = 0.002; 2.9 ± 0.7 vs 3.5 ± 0.8 for time to ambulation, P = 0.001). The incidence of nausea and vomiting was lower in the ropivacaine group than in the control group(30.3% vs 54.3%, P = 0.046). In conclusion, LIA with ropivacaine could effectively reduce postoperative pain, and postoperative analgesic consumption, and promote recovery after cervical laminoplasty.