The use of relaxation techniques in the perioperative management of proctological patients: preliminary results

Relaxation techniques positively affect the psychosomatic pattern of patien ts undergoing surgical treatment. Among these techniques guided imaging (GI ) has been reported to improve outcome following colorectal surgery. This s tudy assessed the effects of GI on the postoperative course in proctologica l patients. We carried out a prospective randomized trial in a group of pat ients operated on for anorectal diseases in our coloproctology unit. Patien ts were randomized into group 1 (n=43) with standard care and group 2 (n=43 ) with relaxation techniques; they listened to a GI tape with music and rel axing text before, during, and after surgery. The following parameters were evaluated by a questionnaire (a) postoperative pain measured by visual ana logue score, (b) the quality of sleep measured by a similar score, and (c) the nature of first micturition, evaluated as normal or difficult. Groups w ere similar in age and sex distribution, type of disease, and operation per formed. The pain score was 3.2+/-1.4 in GI patients and 4.1+/-2.1 in contro ls (P=0.07), The quality of sleep score was 4.8+/-2.9 in GI patients and 6. 4+/-2.7 in controls (P=0.01). The first micturition was painful in 10.3% of GI patients and in 27.3% of controls (P=0.09). Perioperative relaxation te chniques thus showed a trend to reducing pain following anorectal surgery a nd significantly improving the quality of sleep; a decrease in anxiety and a consequent muscle relaxation may be involved. Therefore GI, a low cost an d noninvasive procedure, can be recommended as an helpful tool in this type of surgery.