Does interpleural analgesia influence postthoracotomy pain?
The efficacy of interpleural analgesia to reduce postoperative pain intensity in patients after lateral thoracotomy is controversial. In this study, we demonstrated a lack of efficacy of interpleural analgesia.
The current study failed to show that SCS influences skin microcirculation in patients with CRPS and a low sympathetic tone. Therefore, we may conclude that pain relief in CRPS due to SCS is possible without vasodilation. Because sympathetic activity was greatly decreased in our patients, these results support the hypothesis that the vasodilation that is normally found with SCS is due to an inhibitory effect on sympathetically maintained vasoconstriction.