Perioperative Use of Pain Medications in Vaginal Versus Laparoscopic Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery

Study Objective To determine if the use of perioperative pain medications differs between vaginal versus laparoscopic surgery in women with pelvic organ prolapse. Design We compared the consumption of various pain medications (opioids, intravenous and local anesthetics, non-steroidals, acetaminophen and gabapentin) between vaginal hysterectomy with uterosacral suspension and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with sacrocolpopexy during intraoperative and immediate postoperative period. Setting Tertiary care hospital within the US. Patients or Participants Women undergoing surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. Interventions Retrospective chart review. Measurements and Main Results A total of 195 women who underwent pelvic organ reconstructive surgery were included in the study, with 98 in the vaginal and 97 in the laparoscopic group. Duration of surgery was significantly shorter in the laparoscopy (versus vaginal) group (98 vs. 190 minutes, p Conclusion Women undergoing prolapse repair regardless of route require similar amount of opioid intraoperatively, but differ in use in the postoperative period. Use of non-opioid pain medication were similar between the groups was comparable.