RESUMO
To evaluate the effect of preincisional ipsilateral stellate ganglion block for acute post operative pain control in unilateral mastectomy. In a randomized clinical trial, 62 patients selected for unilateral mastectomy were recruited in Tabriz Imam Reza educational Hospital during 18-month period. They were randomly divided into two equal groups; receiving either preincisional ipsilateral stellate ganglion block using bupivacaine [study group] or without these blocks [control group]. Postoperative pain was evaluated based on visual analogue scale [VAS]. The total dose of analgesics were also compared between the two groups. Thirty one female patients with a mean age of 48.7 +/- 7.4 [36-60] years and 31 other female patients with a mean age of 50.7 +/- 6.9 [36-60] years were enrolled in the study and control groups, respectively [p=0.292]. The number of patients with decrease in postoperative pain was significantly higher in the case study group comparing with that of the control group [p < 0.001]. Decrease in total dose of postoperative analgesics was also significantly lower in the case study group compared with control group [P < 0.001]. Forty eight hours after operation, there were 15 pain-free patients in the study group with no pain-free patients in the control group. This difference was statistically significant [P < 0.001]. Based on our findings, the preincisional ipsilateral stellate ganglion block is an effective method in controlling the postoperative pain after unilateral mastectomy. This approach had also got a considerable analgesic-sparing effect