Abstract:

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different anesthetic methods used in varicocele surgery on postoperative pain relief needs and duration of hospitalization. Material and Methods: This study included 299 patients operated with varicocele between 2014 and 2018.  patients were divided into general anesthesia+local anesthesia (20 ml prilocaine (2%)) skin infiltration [general anesthesia group (Group 1, n=50)], patients only administered spinal anesthesia [spinal anesthesia group (Group 2, n=142)], patients administered spinal anesthesia+TAP block [spinal+TAP block group (Group 3, n=52)] and patients administered spinal anesthesia and intrathecal morphine [spinal+ITM group (Group 4, n=55)]. Results: The analgesic use in the general anesthesia group was not different from the spinal anesthesia group (p>0.05), but was different compared to the spinal+TAP group and spinal+ITM group (p<0.05, for both).  Postoperative analgesic use is assessed for patients, the general anesthesia group was observed to have significantly shorter time for first analgesic use compared to the other groups (p=0.001). When patients are assessed in terms of the cost of anesthetic method, the highest cost method was in the spinal+TAP group. Conclusion: Despite relatively high cost of administration of spinal anesthesia+TAP block for varicocele surgery, it is an effective and reliable method with lower analgesic requirements and shorter duration of hospital stay.

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