EPIDURAL ADMINISTRATION OF METHYLPREDNISOLONE AND MORPHINE FOR PAIN AFTER A SPINAL OPERATION - A RANDOMIZED, PROSPECTIVE, COMPARATIVE-STUDY

The results of postoperative epidural administration of saline solutio n (a placebo), morphine, methylprednisolone, and a combination of morp hine and methylprednisolone for the reduction of pain after an operati on for spinal stenosis or a herniated intervertebral disc were compare d in a prospective, randomized, blinded study. Epidural administration of morphine and methylprednisolone - either alone or in combination - significantly reduced the need for analgesia after an operation for s pinal stenosis (p < 0.05) but not after an operation for a herniated i ntervertebral disc, Morphine and methylprednisolone did not have an ad ditive effect on the reduction of pain. Itching was significantly more common in the patients who had received morphine than in those who ha d received the placebo (p = 0.04). Although urinary retention was more frequent after the use of morphine than after the use of the placebo, the difference was not significant with the size of the sample that w as analyzed (p = 0.25).