title: Effects of meclofenamate and acetaminophen on abdominal pain following tubal occlusion.
abstract: To test the hypothesis that the postoperative abdominal pain of tubal occlusion is mediated by prostaglandins, the effects of meclofenamate, a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, on postoperative analgesia and incidence of abdominal pain were compared with those of acetaminophen, a weak inhibitor of prostaglandin activity. One hundred patients undergoing tubal occlusion under local anesthesia were studied. The patients were randomly divided into four equal groups: control; acetaminophen, 1300 mg; meclofenamate, 100 mg; meclofenamate, 200 mg. The fallopian tubes were occluded by electrocautery in 47 patients and by application of Falope rings in 53 patients. Both acetaminophen and meclofenamate provided substantial analgesia for 4 hours after the operation (p less than 0.05). Meclofenamate reduced the incidence of abdominal pain by one half (p less than 0.02), but acetaminophen did not. These results suggest that a portion of pain relief achieved by meclofenamate may be due to suppression of myosalpingian and/or myometrial contractions, a process mediated by prostaglandins.
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003085:Colic / Q000517:prevention & control; D004564:Electrocoagulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008469:Meclofenamic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011292:Premedication; D013246:Sterilization, Tubal / Q000379:methods*; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates; D000082:Acetaminophen; D008469:Meclofenamic Acid