A randomized trial of Citanest with Octapressin for relief of pain associated with laser vaporization of the cervix

Abstract

Fifty women undergoing laser vaporization of the cervix for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia were randomly allocated to one of two groups. In one group the patients received no anaesthesia, in the other the ectocervix was infiltrated with 2 ml of Citanest with Octapressin (prilocaine 3% with 0.03 i.u./ml. of felypressin) immediately before the procedure. The pain experienced by each group was assessed immediately after treatment by visual analogue and verbal rating scales. The pain experienced by those women receiving local anaesthesia was significantly reduced as assessed by the visual analogue scale (P = 0.011) and this reduction was not quite significant by the verbal rating scale (P = 0.06). The Citanest group had less troublesome bleeding but the difference in bleeding between the two groups was not significant.