Oral Gabapentin for the Treatment of Potoperative Pain after Photorefractive Keratectomy Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To evaluate oral gabapentin for potoperative pain after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Deign Propective, nonrandomized clinical trial. Method In additional to a tandard regimen of topical antibiotic, topical teroid, and topical tetracaine a required, all PRK patient at our laer viion center were treated after urgery for pain for a two-month period with Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen) [Endo Pharmaceutical; Chadd Ford, Pennylvania, UA] 5 mg/325 mg a required for three day (control group). Patient completed a pain aement urvey uing a face pain cale (from zero through 6) on the evening of urgery and each ubequent morning and evening until potoperative day 3. A ucceive cohort of patient received Neurontin (gabapentin) [Pfizer, New York, New York, UA] 300 mg thrice daily (firt doe adminitered two hour or more before the procedure) a an oral pain medication for three day, and the ame urvey data were collected. Reult Data were collected on 141 patient in each cohort. ucceful pain management core (defined a face zero through 2 on the cale) difference did not reach tatitical ignificance between the two cohort except on the morning of the econd potoperative day, when gabapentin wa uperior. On all potoperative day, patient in the oxycodone/acetaminophen cohort ued ignificantly le tetracaine eye drop a required. The percent of patient rating overall pain experience a better than expected wa 35% and 36%, thoe rating pain experience a about what wa expected wa 50% and 49%, and thoe rating pain experience a wore than expected wa 15% and 15% in the oxycodone/acetaminophen and gabapentin cohort, repectively. Concluion We found no difference in overall ubjective pain management rating between gabapentin and oxycodone/acetaminophen for potoperative PRK pain, although gabapentin wa aociated with ignificantly more frequent ue of anethetic eye drop a required.