Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Patient-Controlled Intravenous Analgesia With Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia After Lumbar Spinal Fusion

Abstract

Both postoperative analgesic regimens provided good overall patient satisfaction. The only clinical advantage of PCEA over PCA for spine fusion patients was the lower amount of opioid consumed, although the PCEA group experienced significantly more side effects than the PCA group. There were no other significant differences. Therefore, patient or physician preference could select either postoperative pain management delivery system.