| Abstract: | ![]()
To test the hypothesis that the postoperative abdominal pain of tubal occlusion is mediated by prostaglandins, the effects of meclofenamate, a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, on postoperative analgesia and incidence of abdominal pain were compared with those of acetaminophen, a weak inhibitor of prostaglandin activity. One hundred patients undergoing tubal occlusion under local anesthesia were studied. The patients were randomly divided into four equal groups: control; acetaminophen, 1300 mg; meclofenamate, 100 mg; meclofenamate, 200 mg. The fallopian tubes were occluded by electrocautery in 47 patients and by application of Falope rings in 53 patients. Both acetaminophen and meclofenamate provided substantial analgesia for 4 hours after the operation (p less than 0.05). Meclofenamate reduced the incidence of abdominal pain by one half (p less than 0.02), but acetaminophen did not. These results suggest that a portion of pain relief achieved by meclofenamate may be due to suppression of myosalpingian and/or myometrial contractions, a process mediated by prostaglandins. |
