A Comparison between Laparoscopic Nephrectomy and Open Nephrectomy in Terms of Analgesic Requirements

Objective: In this study, we aimed at making a comparison between the laparoscopic nephrectomy and open nephrectomy in terms of post-operative pain and morphine consumption. Method: The study has been designed with patients who underwent prospective and randomized laparoscopic and open nephrectomy operation. We assessed the post-operative pain through visual analogue scale (VAS) at the 0st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 12th, 18th, and 24th post-operative hours. We carefully recorded the intraoperative and post-operative results along with the post-operative pain-relieving analgesic doses. Results: A total number of 54 patients were included in this study. The VAS scores of the two groups did not demonstrate a significant difference, but the analgesic (morphine) requirement was significantly lower in the laparoscopic group (p=0,031). The groups demonstrated no difference in terms of adverse effects. Discussion: Along with similar perioperative results, laparoscopic nephrectomy offers an advantage in case of post-operative pain with regard to analgesic requirement and hospital stay duration.