Pilot Study of the Efficacy of Oral Sodium Diclofenac in the Management of Postoperative Pain after Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy

摘要

Purpose of this study is to study the efficacy of oral sodium diclofenac in the management of postoperative pain after transepithelialphotorefractive keratectomy (tPRK). In this pilot study, 60 patients were included. They were divided into two equal groups. Thepatients in the control group did not get oral sodium diclofenac in their prescriptions. However, the patients in the diclofenac groupgot sodium diclofenac 50 mg tab as an addition to the ordinary prescription. Patients were asked to assess their level of pain, pho-tophobia, their functional activity restriction and to specify the number of oral analgesic combi-nation pills, and the number ofmidazolam pills they have taken till the third day after surgery. Pain intensity in the diclofenac group was significantly less than thatin the control group on the day of surgery and on the first day after surgery (p-value=0.01, p-value=0.03 respectively). The functionalactivity restriction after surgery was remarkably less in the diclofenac group than it was in the control group (p-value=0.01). Therewas no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of photophobia after the surgery (p-value=0.3). Therewas no important difference between the two groups in terms of the mean number of oral analgesic combination pills consumedby patients (p-value>0.05), and so for the mean number of midazolam pills (p-value>0.05). Oral sodium diclofenac is significantlyeffective in the management of postoperative pain after tPRK. It also decreases the degree of functional activity restriction. Thereis no significant effect of oral sodium diclofenac on post-operative photophobia.