Verbal analgesia is as good as oral tramadol prior to intrauterine device (IUD) insertion, among nulliparous women: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To compare two pain management strategies: oral tramadol or a verbal analgesia technique during insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) among nulliparous women.

STUDY DESIGN

In this randomized, controlled trial, 54 nulliparous women undergoing insertion of a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (IUD), from December 2015 to December 2018 were randomized to receive oral tramadol for analgesia or verbal analgesia prior to IUD insertion. Demographic data, clinical symptoms, visual analogue scale (VAS) and complications were reviewed from patient records.

RESULTS

There was no difference between the two groups regarding gravidity, age, smoking or body mass index. No significant differences were detected between the groups regarding the procedure, including ease of insertion (p = .415), number of insertion attempts (p = .514) and complications during the insertion (p = .150). Mean pain level by VAS was 4.5 ± 1.6 (range 2-8) for the tramadol group and 4.8 ± 2.4 (0-10) for the verbal analgesia group (p = .610). There was no spontaneous ejection of the IUD in either group, and no endometritis or discomfort that resulted in IUD removal.

CONCLUSION

There was no benefit in using oral tramadol for analgesia prior to IUD insertion among nulliparous women. Verbal analgesia can be a suitable technique for this process and clinicians should become more familiar with its use.

Z-palatoplasty (ZPP): a technique for patients without tonsils

OBJECTIVE

Patients without tonsils and with Friedman tongue position (FTP) III and IV are poor candidates for uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UP3). Even when combined with adjunctive hyopharyngeal techniques, results are poor. We assessed a modified uvulopalatoplasty based on a bilateral Z-plasty in treating patients without tonsils who have obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).

METHODS

25 patients treated with a modified technique were matched with 25 patients previously treated with classic UP3. All patients in both groups also had radiofrequency tongue base reduction. Preoperative vs. postoperative measures of objective treatment success and subjective symptoms were compared for the 2 groups. Morbidity, including pain levels, narcotic use, and return to solid diet and normal activity, as well as complications were studied.

RESULTS

Subjective improvement was good for both groups, but objective clinical improvement was significantly better for the experimental group. Morbidity and complications for the experimental group were comparable to the control group and to other published series on UP3.

CONCLUSIONS

A modified technique for patients without tonsils who have OSAHS is presented. The new technique is more successful with acceptable morbidity for patients with OSAHS than classical techniques.