Efficacy of EMLA for Office-based Andrology Procedures Under Local Anesthesia: A Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetic (EMLA), a topical anesthetic cream, in office-based invasive andrological procedures such as hydrocelectomy, spermatocelectomy, and others, aimed at minimizing pain perception and enhancing the overall patient experience.

Methods: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted for patients undergoing scrotal andrology surgeries under LA. Power calculation was performed with an estimated sample size of 72. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to topical EMLA + LA versus LA alone. In the post-operative recovery area, patient will be asked to complete a VAS questionnaire rating pain with LA administration and pain with procedure. Analysis comparing VAS pain scores of both groups was performed using the independent sample t-test method.

Results: Seventy-two patients were included in our analysis, with 36 in the control and 36 in the intervention arm. For patient pain with administration of LA, the control arm reported an average VAS pain score of 4.31, compared to 3.72 in the intervention arm (P = .319). For patient pain with procedure, patients in the control arm reported a median VAS pain score of 3.47 compared to 3.03 (P = .432) in the intervention arm. Overall, 86% (62/72) of patients reported that they would either be "very likely" (4/5) or "highly likely" (5/5) to undergo future procedures under local anesthetic.

Conclusion: While performing scrotal surgeries under LA appears to be well tolerated and a feasible option, the application of EMLA cream does not appear to significantly alter patient-reported outcomes.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06242977.