Objectives: To assess the impact of preoperative anxiety on pain and analgesic consumption in patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy (VH) with general and spinal anesthesia.
Material and methods: A total of 200 participants, including 100 undergoing vaginal hysterectomy with general anesthesia (group 1) and 100 with spinal anesthesia (group 2), were enrolled. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for the postoperative pain intensity.
Results: The 1st hour, 6th hour, 12th hour, and 18th hour VAS scores were higher in vaginal hysterectomy with general anesthesia than in vaginal hysterectomy with spinal anesthesia.
Conclusions: Although participants undergoing VH with spinal anesthesia (preoperative state anxiety inventory score > 45) had lower pain intensity scores in the first 18 hours compared to those undergoing VH with general anesthesia, their postoperative analgesic requirements were similar.
Keywords: anxiety; general anesthesia; pain; spinal anesthesia; vaginal hysterectomy.