Therapy with continuous epidural local anesthetic and methylprednisolone provides better control of chronic cervicobrachial pain compared with Single injection. These results are discussed with respect to the possible mechanism of action of the drugs and may relate to the physiopathologic mechanisms associated with neuronal plasticity that result in chronic pain.

The results indicate that intraperitoneal local anesthetic blockade administered before or after surgery preempts postoperative pain relative to an untreated placebo-control condition. However, the timing of administration is also important in that postoperative pain intensity and analgesic consumption are both lower among patients treated with local anesthetic before versus after surgery.

This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate the effects on postoperative pain of the local anesthetic, 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine, sprayed hepatodiaphragmatically under the surgeon's direct view during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Metabolic endocrine responses to surgery (glucose and cortisol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug requirements were investigated, as well as the presence of nausea, vomiting, and sweating. Local anesthetics or placebo solutions were given as follows. Immediately following the creation of a pneumoperitoneum, surgeons sprayed the first 20 mL of solution (S1), and an additional 20 mL of solution (S2) was sprayed at the end of the operation. Patients were classified into three groups (14 patients per group). Group A received 20 mL of saline during both S1 and S2, group B received 20 mL of saline during S1 and 20 mL of bupivacaine during S2, and group C received 20 mL of bupivacaine during both S1 and S2. The degree of postoperative pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the verbal rating scale (VRS) on arrival in the recovery room and subsequently at time intervals of 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, and 24 h. The results of this study indicate a significant decrease of postoperative pain in patients treated with local anesthetic. VAS and VRS pain scores, as well as respiratory rate and analgesic requirements, were significantly lower in group C. The postoperative plasma cortisol level in group C was significantly lower than in groups A and B.

Background and PurposeThe benefit of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) and baseline mild neurological symptoms remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of MT in this subgroup of patients. Methods The databases of 9 high-volume Italian stroke centers were retrospectively screened for patients with LVO in the anterior circulation and a baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤ 5 that received either immediate MT or best medical management (BMM) with the possibility of rescue MT upon neurological worsening. Primary outcome measure was a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-1 at 90 days. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to estimate the treatment effect of immediate MT compared to BMM/rescue MT. Results Two hundred and seventy-two patients received immediate MT (MT group). The BMM/rescue MT group included 41 patients. The primary outcome was achieved in 78.6% (n = 246) of overall patients, with a higher proportion in the MT group (80.5% vs. 65.9%, p = 0.03) in unadjusted analysis. After PSM, patients in the MT group had a 19.5% higher chance of excellent outcome at 90 days compared to the BMM/Rescue MT group with a similar risk of death from any cause. Conclusions Our experience is in favor of a potential benefit of MT also in patients with LVO and a NIHSS score ≤ 5 at the time of groin puncture. Nonetheless, this issue waits for a clear-cut recommendation in a dedicated clinical trial.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with isolated M2 occlusion and minor symptoms and identify possible baseline predictors of clinical outcome.MethodsThe databases of 16 high-volume stroke centers were retrospectively screened for consecutive patients with isolated M2 occlusion and a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤5 who received either early MT (eMT) or best medical management (BMM) with the possibility of rescue MT (rMT) on early neurological worsening. Because our patients were not randomized, we used propensity score matching (PSM) to estimate the treatment effect of eMT compared with the BMM/rMT. The primary clinical outcome measure was a 90-day modified Rankin Scale score of 0–1.Results388 patients were initially selected and, after PSM, 100 pairs of patients receiving eMT or BMM/rMT were available for analysis. We found no significant differences in clinical outcome and in safety measures between patients receiving eMT or BMM/rMT. Similar results were also observed after comparison between eMT and rMT. Concerning baseline predicting factors of outcome, the involvement of the M2 inferior branch was associated with a favorable outcome.ConclusionOur multicenter retrospective analysis has shown no benefit of eMT in minor stroke patients with isolated M2 occlusion over a more conservative therapeutic approach. Although our results must be viewed with caution, in these patients it appears reasonable to consider BMM as the first option and rMT in the presence of early neurological deterioration.