Pre-emptive caudal epidural analgesia with ropivacaine for lumbosacral spine surgery: A randomized case control study.

Background And Aims: Pre-emptive analgesia using caudal epidural technique is an underutilized technique in lumbosacral spine surgery patients. We intend to study if pre-emptive analgesia with a single caudal epidural injection of ropivacaine is an effective method of postoperative analgesia by assessing the quality and duration of pain relief and intraoperative opioid requirement.

Material And Methods: Eighty patients undergoing lumbosacral spine surgeries by the posterior approach were randomized to ropivacaine (R) group ( = 40) and saline (S) group ( = 40).