Regional Anesthesia in Circumcision Surgery: Which of the Two Things Is Better?

Objective: Postcircumcision pain in children can cause restlessness, crying and bleeding due to trauma. However, there are various methods to prevent postoperative pain, caudal and penile blocks are in the foreground. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of CB and PB for the relief of postcircumcision pain. The secondary aim is to evaluate the postoperative additional analgesic requirement and side effects of these blocks.

Materials and Methods: A total of 148 children between the ages of 2 and 10 who underwent circumcision surgery were randomly assigned to two groups in terms of postoperative analgesia. 1) A group of caudal block (0,5 ml/kg %0.25 levobupivacaine) and 2) A group of penile block (0,3 ml/kg %0,25 levobupivacaine). Premedication and sedoanalgesia were standardized. The pain (FLACC Pain Score), analgesic consumption, motor block (Bromage Scale) and side effects (vomiting, hematoma, urinary retention) were assessed postoperatively for 4 hours.

Results: Postoperative FLACC scores were lower for caudale block group in the 1st, 3rd and 4th hours. There was no significant difference in postoperative analgesic consumption between the groups. The most common postoperative side effect was vomiting in both groups.

Conclusion: Caudal block provided more effective analgesia than penile block in postcircumcision pain control.

Cite this article as: Selim Çömez M, A. Regional anesthesia in circumcision surgery: Which of the two things is better? Eurasian J Med 2022;54(1):4-7.