Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Perioperative Administration of Acetazolamide for Management of Postoperative Pain after Laparoscopy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of perioperative acetazolamide (ACTZ) administration with laparoscopy for reducing postoperative referred pain. METHODS: The following databases were searched from inception to March 1, 2020: Cochrane, PubMed, PubMed Central, Ovid, and Embase. Electronic search used: Acetazolamide AND (laparoscopy OR laparoscopic OR Celioscopy OR Celioscopies OR Peritoneoscopy OR Peritoneoscopies). No limits or filters were used. We included only studies of patients who underwent abdominal laparoscopy (LSC), had a pain assessment at approximately 24 hours postoperatively, and included a treatment with ACTZ group and a no-treatment or minimal-treatment comparison group. RESULTS: Five studies met inclusion criteria, with a combined total of 253 participants, 116 in the ACTZ group and 137 in the control group. A Bayesian hierarchical model was assumed for the study specific treatment effects. Posterior sampling was conducted via Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, and posterior inference carried out on the hierarchical treatment effect. ACTZ significantly decreased average pain scores compared to control group by −0.726 points (95% confidence interval −1.175–0.264). The posterior probability that ACTZ decreases mean pain scores by ≥ 0.5 was 0.846. CONCLUSION: Current available evidence demonstrates that perioperative ACTZ may provide a modest improvement in postoperative referred pain following LSC.