Does local anesthesia at mid-trimester amniocentesis decrease pain experience? A randomized trial in 220 patients

Objectives To evaluate whether local anesthesia decreases patients' pain ex perience during mid-trimester amniocentesis. Methods In a randomized trial, one group did not receive local anesthesia w hile, in another group, lignocaine 1% was injected subcutanously prior to a mniocentesis. Five different scoring systems were used to evaluate patients ' pain experience. Results Two hundred and twenty women entered the study: 114 received local anesthesia, while 106 did not. The mean (SD) Visual Analog Scale was 1.4 (1 .5) on a 0-10 scale (range 0-76). Some 97% of patients described the proced ure as not painful or bearable, 79% had expected the procedure to be more p ainful and 59% reported the amniocentesis to have a comparable discomfort a s venous blood sampling; 98% of women declared they would undergo an amnioc entesis again if indicated. There were no statistical differences between b oth randomization groups. Conclusions Mid-trimester amniocentesis is not a painful procedure. Local a nesthesia does not affect pain experience during amniocentesis.