COMPARING THE EFFECT OF INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION OF PETHIDINE an‎d DICLOFENAC SUPPOSITORY IN RELIEF OF PAIN FOLLOWING LAMINECTOMY SURGERY

Pain, particularly after surgery, can create a variety of side effects including delay in wound healing. Different drugs such as pethidine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for relieving patient’s pain after surgery. The purpose of this research was to compare effect of pethidine vs. diclofenac suppository in relief of pain after laminectomy. A total of 100 patients who underwent laminectomy entered this study. They were divided into pethidine and diclofenac groups. The patients’ pain score was measured with visual analog scale (VAS) method. The mean pain score 24 hours after surgery was 2.8 ± 2.0 in pethidine group and 4.46 ± 2.30 in diclofenac group. There was a significant statistical difference between pain score after surgery in two groups (P < 0.05). Nausea was the most common side effect observed in pethidine group (20%) and epigastric pain was the most common one in diclofenac group (18%). There wasn’t any statistical significant difference between side effects in these two groups. It seems that pethidine injection is more effective than diclofenac suppository in relieving pain after laminectomy.