A prospective double-blind randomised controlled trial of intraoperative pelvic instillation with bupivacaine for management of pain following laparoscopy and dye

The aim of this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of intraperitoneal instillation of bupivacaine following laparoscopy and dye test. Women received either 15 ml of 0.9% saline (n=42) or 15 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine (n=43), which was instilled intraperitoneally. Pain and nausea scores were recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Pain perception was no different in the bupivacaine group compared with the control group with median values of VAS at 2 hours (18, 19; P=0.8), 6 hours (21, 22; P=0.5), 12 hours (19, 25; P=0.8), 24 hours (27, 27; P=0.9) and 48 hours (21, 13; P=0.26). Women in the bupivacaine group were less nauseated than controls in the immediate postoperative period (with median VAS scores of 0, 8; P value=0.03 at 2 hours and 0, 7; P=0.01 at 6 hours).