Narrative review of acute post-craniotomy pain. Concept and strategies for prevention and treatment of pain

Effect of Preoperative Anxiety on Postoperative Pain after Craniotomy

Pain following craniotomy is challenging. Preoperative anxiety can be one of the controllable factors for prevention of post-craniotomy pain. The main objective of this prospective observational study is to determine this relationship in patients undergoing scheduled craniotomy from February to June 2021. After excluding patients with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≤ 24 points, we administered a preoperative State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. We recorded the patient's analgesic assessment using the Numerical Rating Score (NRS) at 1, 8, 24, and 48 h after surgery. A total of 73 patients were included in the study. Twelve others were excluded due to a MMSE ≤ 24 points. The main predictors for NRS postoperatively at 1, 8, 24, and 48 h were STAI A/E score, male gender, youth, and depression. We identified a cut-off point of 24.5 in STAI A/E for predicting a NRS > 3 (sensitivity 82% and specificity 65%) at 24 h postoperative and a cut-off of 31.5 in STAI A/R (sensitivity 64% and specificity 77%). In conclusion, preoperative STAI scores could be a useful tool for predicting which patient will experience at least moderate pain after craniotomy. The identification of these patients may allow us to highlight psychological preparation and adjuvant analgesia.

Systematic Review of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery in Patients Undergoing Cranial Surgery

BACKGROUND

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) pathways are increasingly being integrated in neurosurgical patient management. The full extent of ERAS in cranial surgery is not well studied. We performed a systematic review examining ERAS in cranial surgery patients to 1) identify the extent to which ERAS is integrated in cranial neurosurgical procedures and 2) assess effectiveness of ERAS interventions for patients undergoing these procedures.

METHODS

A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, PsychInfo, and Google Scholar was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines (CRD42020197187). Studies eligible for inclusion assessed patients undergoing any cranial surgical procedure using an ERAS or ERAS-like pathway, defined by ≥2 ERAS protocol elements per the ERAS Society's RECOvER Checklist and the recommendations of Hagan et al. 2016 (not including patient education, criteria for discharge, or tracking of postdischarge outcomes).

RESULTS

Nine studies were included in qualitative synthesis, 2 of which were randomized controlled trials. All studies showed a moderate risk of bias. The most common ERAS elements used were screening and/or optimization and formal discharge criteria. The least common ERAS elements used were fasting/carbohydrate loading and antithrombotic prophylaxis. Complication rates were similar in studies comparing ERAS with non-ERAS groups. ERAS interventions were associated with reduced length of stay, with comparable and/or improved patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

ERAS is a safe and potentially favorable perioperative pathway for select patients undergoing cranial surgery. Future studies of ERAS in cranial surgery patients should emphasize postoperative optimizations and patient-reported outcome measures as key features.