POUCH-OF-DOUGLAS BLOCK FOR LAPAROSCOPIC STERILIZATION

The use of local anaesthetic has been shown to reduce the incidence of pain after laparoscopic sterilisation and the need for opioid analges ia from day surgery. We investigated a technique in which a catheter i s placed in the pouch of Douglas allowing repeated-administration of l ocal anaesthetic in the postoperative period. Forty patients were rand omly allocated pre-operatively into one of two groups to receive in a double-blind manner either lignocaine 1% or normal saline. Pain was as sessed using visual analogue and subjective scoring systems. Postopera tive pain scores were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) after injection of lignocaine through the catheter. There were no complications relat ed to the technique and no evidence of local anaesthetic toxicity. Lig nocaine instilled into the Pouch of Douglas is an effective method for postoperative pain relief after laparoscopic sterilisation.