Can pre‐emptive lumbar epidural blockade reduce postoperative pain following lower abdominal surgery?

Summary In a double‐blind study, 36 patients who received a standard general anaesthetic for abdominal hysterectomy or myomectomy, received either 15 ml of bupivacaine 0.5% with adrenaline by lumbar epidural injection 15 min before surgery (group A) or the same dose at the end of surgery but before waking (group B). Pain was assessed for 24 h by cumulative morphine dose (self‐administered by patient‐controlled analgesia), visual analogue scale...