Paracervical Block Versus Transcervical Block in Outpatient Procedural Hysteroscopy

Summary

Hysteroscopy is a minimally invasive, diagnostic and therapeutic gynecological surgical technique and the gold standard in the study of the uterine cavity. Thanks to the decrease in the diameter of hysteroscopes and to the vaginoscopic approach, anesthesia is no longer necessary in diagnostic hysteroscopy. Nevertheless, in operative hysteroscopy, given the instrumentalization and the need of cervical dilation, the use of local anesthesia, with or without sedation, is recommended. The different alternatives described in the literature are the following: 1. Cervical/ intracervical block: injection of local anesthetic into the four quadrants of the cervix. 2. Paracervical block: injection of local anesthetic in the cervicovaginal junction at 5 and 7 o'clock positions. 3. Transcervical (uterine) anesthesia: instillation of a local anesthetic agent via catheter through the cervix and into the uterine cavity. 4. Topical cervical anesthesia: application of local anesthetic in gel or spray to the cervix. To assess the best anesthetic pathway to decrease pain during outpatient hysteroscopy, the investigators will perform a prospective multicentric study that compare two types of local anesthesia in outpatient procedural hysteroscopy: paracervical block, that is the actual gold-standard, and transcervical instillation.

Timeline

Start

2023-09-01

Primary completion

2024-09-01

Completion

2024-12-01

Publications

• Background Readman E, Maher PJ. Pain relief and outpatient hysteroscopy: a literature review. J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc. 2004 Aug;11(3):315-9. doi: 10.1016/s1074-3804(05)60042-4.
• Background Lau WC, Tam WH, Lo WK, Yuen PM. A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of transcervical intrauterine local anaesthesia in outpatient hysteroscopy. BJOG. 2000 May;107(5):610-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2000.tb13301.x.
• Background De Silva PM, Mahmud A, Smith PP, Clark TJ. Analgesia for Office Hysteroscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2020 Jul-Aug;27(5):1034-1047. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2020.01.008. Epub 2020 Jan 23.
• Background Bettocchi S, Selvaggi L. A vaginoscopic approach to reduce the pain of office hysteroscopy. J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc. 1997 Feb;4(2):255-8. doi: 10.1016/s1074-3804(97)80019-9.
• Background Cicinelli E, Didonna T, Ambrosi G, Schonauer LM, Fiore G, Matteo MG. Topical anaesthesia for diagnostic hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy in postmenopausal women: a randomised placebo-controlled double-blind study. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1997 Mar;104(3):316-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1997.tb11460.x.
• Background Lau WC, Lo WK, Tam WH, Yuen PM. Paracervical anaesthesia in outpatient hysteroscopy: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1999 Apr;106(4):356-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1999.tb08274.x.
• Background Zupi E, Luciano AA, Valli E, Marconi D, Maneschi F, Romanini C. The use of topical anesthesia in diagnostic hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy. Fertil Steril. 1995 Feb;63(2):414-6.
• Background Broadbent JA, Hill NC, Molnar BG, Rolfe KJ, Magos AL. Randomized placebo controlled trial to assess the role of intracervical lignocaine in outpatient hysteroscopy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1992 Sep;99(9):777-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1992.tb13886.x. No abstract available.
• Background Cooper NA, Khan KS, Clark TJ. Local anaesthesia for pain control during outpatient hysteroscopy: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2010 Mar 23;340:c1130. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c1130.
• Background Kosus N, Kosus A, Guler A, Simavli SA, Turhan NO. Transcervical intrauterine levobupivacaine infusion or paracervical block for pain control during endometrial biopsy. Exp Ther Med. 2012 Apr;3(4):683-688. doi: 10.3892/etm.2012.463. Epub 2012 Jan 30.
• Background Guida M, Pellicano M, Zullo F, Acunzo G, Lavitola G, Palomba S, Nappi C. Outpatient operative hysteroscopy with bipolar electrode: a prospective multicentre randomized study between local anaesthesia and conscious sedation. Hum Reprod. 2003 Apr;18(4):840-3. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deg075.
• Background Hawker GA, Mian S, Kendzerska T, French M. Measures of adult pain: Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS Pain), Numeric Rating Scale for Pain (NRS Pain), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS), Short Form-36 Bodily Pain Scale (SF-36 BPS), and Measure of Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP). Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011 Nov;63 Suppl 11:S240-52. doi: 10.1002/acr.20543. No abstract available.
• Background Jensen MP, Karoly P, Braver S. The measurement of clinical pain intensity: a comparison of six methods. Pain. 1986 Oct;27(1):117-126. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(86)90228-9.
• Background Chudnoff S, Einstein M, Levie M. Paracervical block efficacy in office hysteroscopic sterilization: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Jan;115(1):26-34. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181c51ace.

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