Evaluation of a muscle relaxant on sequelae of third molar surgery: a pilot study

Use of Muscle Relaxants for Acute Postoperative Pain: A Practical Review

Background

Skeletal muscle relaxants have emerged as a broad category of analgesic adjuncts, aiming to improve pain relief and reduce opioid reliance. These drugs induce muscle relaxation and reduce muscle spasms, and therefore, they are commonly used in surgical procedures involving muscle manipulation, such as abdominal surgery, breast surgery, and spine surgery. However, their analgesic efficacy and opioid-sparing effects are poorly explored.

Methods

A scoping review of literature was performed with several electronic databases. We used a search string with a sequence of text words and word variants related to central muscle relaxants, pain management, postoperative pain, and specific muscle relaxants.

Results

Review of literature shows significant heterogeneity among the studies in terms of surgical procedures, patient populations, choice of muscle relaxant, and timing and duration of administration, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings and the ability for pooled analysis.

Conclusions

Given the lack of evidence, we recommend that the use of skeletal muscle relaxants be reserved for patients in whom an optimal multimodal analgesic technique is not adequate. Also, there may be a limited role for these drugs in patients at high risk of postoperative pain undergoing surgical procedures with expected high opioid requirements. Due to the concerns of potential adverse effects, the decision to use muscle relaxants in vulnerable populations should be made carefully, weighing the benefits against the risks.

Does adding muscle relaxant make post-operative pain better? a narrative review of the literature from US and European studies

Centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants (CASMR) are widely prescribed as adjuncts for acute and chronic pain. Given the recent interest in multimodal analgesia and reducing opioid consumption, there has been an increase in its use for perioperative/postoperative pain control. The mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics of these drugs vary. Their use has been studied in a wide range of operative and non-operative settings. The best evidence for the efficacy of CASMRs is in acute, nonoperative musculoskeletal pain and, in the operative setting, in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty and abdominal surgery, including inguinal herniorrhaphy and hemorrhoidectomy. The risk of complications and side effects, coupled with the limited evidence of efficacy, should prompt careful consideration of individual patient circumstances when prescribing CASMRs as part of perioperative pain management strategies.

Is Preemptive Oral Tizanidine Effective on Postoperative Pain Intensity after Bimaxillary Orthognathic Surgery? A Triple-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background:

We aimed to investigate the effect of preoperative administration of oral tizanidine on postoperative pain intensity after bimaxillary orthognathic surgery.

Methods:

All healthy skeletal class III patients who were candidates for bimaxillary orthognathic surgery were enrolled in this triple-blind randomized clinical trial. The study was carried out in the Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Qaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran; from January 2021 to November 2021. The consecutive patients were randomly divided into tizanidine and placebo groups. One hour prior to anesthesia induction, the tizanidine group received 4 mg Tizanidine dissolved in 10 ml apple juice, whereas the placebo group received an identical glass of plain apple juice. All operations were performed by the same surgical team, under the same general anesthesia protocol. Postoperative pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours. For statistical analysis; the significance level was set at 0.05 using SPSS 23.

Results:

A total of 60 consecutive patients, consisting of 36 females (60%) and 24 males (40%) with an average age of 25.4 ± 6.0 were recruited. An increasing trend was noticed in the amount of perceived postoperative pain from the 3^rd till 12^th hour, and then decreased afterward. Nevertheless, the average amount of pain was significantly lower in the tizanidine compared to the placebo group, in all the evaluated time intervals (P<0.001). Moreover, there was a significantly higher requirement for postoperative opioid analgesics in the placebo compared to the tizanidine group (P=0.011).

Conclusion:

The addition of oral tizanidine was effective in reducing postoperative pain following bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. Further studies are necessary for more relevancy.

Evaluation of the analgesic efficacies of Dexketoprofen Trometamol and Dexketoprofen Trometamol + Thiocolchicoside combinations in the impacted third molar surgery: Randomised clinical trial

Background

Postoperative pain is one of the most common complications. The aim of this study is to evaluate the analgesic efficacies of dexketoprofen trometamol and two different dosages of dexketoprofen trometamol + thiocolchicoside combination in the impacted third molar tooth operation.

Material and Methods

This randomized, double-blind study included 75 patients who did not have any disease. Patients were assigned to 3 groups. Group 1 received 25 mg dexketoprofen trometamol + 4 mg thiocholchicoside, Group 2 received 25 mg dexketoprofen trometamol +8 mg thiocholchicoside, and Group 3 received 25 mg dexketoprofen trometamol. In each group, the analgesic medication was administered twice a day, starting 1 hour before the operation. The level of pain was assessed with VAS.

Results

Patient age varied from 18 to 36 years. Of all patients, 59.2% (n=42) were female and 40.8% (n=29) were male. Drug side effects were observed in 28.17% (n=20) of the patients. Mean 24th hour VAS score was lower in dexketoprofen trometamol + 8 mg thiocolchicoside group compared to dexketoprofen trometamol group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups regarding drug side effects (p>0.05).

Conclusions

Dexketoprofen trometamol + 8 mg thiocolchicoside combination has higher analgesic efficacy compared to dexketoprofen trometamol. More studies are needed to interpret the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of thiocholchicoside + dexketoprofen trometamol combination.

Key words:Analgesic, dexketoprofen trometamol, thiocolchicoside, third molar surgery.

The effects of piezosurgery and submucosal dexamethasone injection on post-operative complications after third molar surgery

BACKGROUND

A retrospective clinical study was performed to compare the post-operative effects of the conventional surgery, piezo surgery technique and submucosal dexamethasone injection in lower third molars extractions.

METHODS

Data from 62 patients, subjected to surgical extraction of lower third molars, were pooled and divided into three groups such as: Conventional Group (22 patients), Piezo Group (20 patients) and Dex Group (conventional surgery + 4 mg/1 mL dexamethasone) (20 patients). Pain, swelling, trismus, analgesic consumption and operation time were comparatively evaluated.

RESULTS

Pain values were found lower in Dex Group in comparison to Conventional Group at 7th day (P = 0.007). Edema found to be higher in Conventional Group than Dex Group at 2nd day (P = 0.025). Minimally trismus values were found in Dex Group and the difference between the Dex and Conventional Group found to be statistically significant both in 2nd (P = 0.048) and 7th days (P = 0.010). The analgesic consumption in the Conventional Group was found to be higher than Piezo Group at 2nd day (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

The better post-operative values were obtained in the Dex Group. Although longer operative time is considered to be a disadvantage for the piezo technique, piezotome may be preferred for surgical procedures due to its positive results in comparison to the conventional technique.

Do Corticosteroids Still Have a Role in the Management of Third Molar Surgery?

INTRODUCTION

The use of corticosteroids to reduce the post-operative sequelae of lower third molar surgery, namely pain, swelling and trismus, has been well studied by many researchers over the past 6 decades. This study reviewed the reported outcome of corticosteroids used in controlling the above sequalae after third molar surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A PubMed, Medline, EMBASE and Google search was undertaken of all controlled clinical trials on the effects of corticosteroids on pain, swelling and trismus after lower third molar surgery. The review was limited to studies published over the last 10 years (2006-2015).

RESULTS

Of the 46 initially retrieved articles, 34 were finally included. Eleven studies compared the effect of 2 similar (but different dose) or different group of corticosteroids. Thirty-one studies reported the effects of corticosteroids on all sequale, 2 reported the outcome on swelling and trismus and another 1 on swelling and pain only. In 16 of the studies, corticosteroid use resulted in significant reductions in pain after third molar removal. Twenty-two out of 29 studies reported reduced swelling against negative control while 18 out of 25 studies reported improved mouth opening. Fourteen studies reported the benefit of corticosteroids on all 3 sequelae, with 71.4% resulted from the use of methylprednisolone.

CONCLUSION

Although there are some conflicting effects, the results of this analysis shows in general the benefits derived from short-term use of corticosteroids in relation to pain, swelling and trismus following third molar surgical extraction, with no side effects observed.

FUNDING

This work was supported by the University of Malaya's High Impact Research grant UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/05.

A Comparative Study between the Effect of Combined Local Anesthetic and Low-dose Ketamine with Local Anesthetic on Postoperative Complications after Impacted Third Molar Surgery

BACKGROUND

Postoperative pain, swelling and trismus are the most common outcome after third molar surgery. Many methods have been tried to improve postoperative comfort after surgery. Ketamine is a phencyclidine derivative that induces a state of dissociative anesthesia. It is a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and has a distinct suppression effect on central nervous system (CNS) sensitization. Ketamine in a subanesthetic dose is set to produce analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty patients, between the age group of 18 and 38 years, undergoing the extraction of impacted mandibular third molar, reporting to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery were included in the study. Patients were divided randomly into two groups: local anesthetic alone (LAA) and local anesthetic and ketamine (LAK).

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U/unpaired--t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

RESULT

There was a significant difference in mouth opening in the LAA and LAK group in the immediate postoperative period. There was a significant difference between the two groups after 1 hour (LAA: 2.37; LAK: 1.40), and 4 hours (LAA: 2.37; LAK: 1.40). There was a significant difference in terms of facial swelling in the immediate postoperative period and day 1 between the LAA and LAK group.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Use of subanesthetic dose of ketamine is not only safe but also valuable in reducing patient morbidity after third molar surgery.

CONCLUSION

Combination of a local anesthetic and subanesthetic dose of ketamine during surgical extraction of third molars provides good postoperative analgesia with less swelling and significantly less trismus.

Evaluation of postoperative discomfort following third molar surgery using submucosal dexamethasone - a randomized observer blind prospective study

BACKGROUND

Surgical removal of impacted lower third molar is still the most frequent procedure done by Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons and is often associated with pain, swelling and trismus. These postoperative sequelae can cause distress to the patient as a result of tissue trauma and affect the patient's quality of life after surgery. Use of antiseptic mouthwashes, drains, muscle relaxants, cryotherapy, antibiotics, corticosteroids and physiotherapy seems to decrease postoperative discomfort. Among them corticosteroids are well-known adjuncts to surgery for suppressing tissue mediators of inflammation, thereby reducing transudation of fluids and lessening edema. The rationale of this study is to determine the effectiveness of submucosal injection of dexamethasone in reducing postoperative discomfort after third molar surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

100 patients requiring surgical removal of third molar under local anesthesia were randomly divided into 2 groups, group I receiving 4 mg dexamethasone as submucosal injection and the control group II received no steroid administration. Facial swelling was quantified by anatomical facial landmarks. Furthermore, pain and patient satisfaction, as well as neurological score and the degree of mouth opening were observed from each patient.

RESULTS

Patients receiving dexamethasone showed significant reduction in pain, swelling, trismus, a tendency to less neurological complaints and improved quality of life compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Submucosal injection of dexamethasone is more efficient to manage postoperative discomfort after removal of third molars compared to no steroid administration.