Comparison of pain scores with epidural and local anaesthesia in patients undergoing transforaminal endoscopic discectomy - A prospective randomised trial.

This study is an open labelled prospective randomized trial comparing the analgesic efficacy of epidural anaesthesia with 10 ml of 0.2 percent Bupivacaine  and local anaesthesia with 15 ml of 1 percent Lignocaine in patients undergoing transforaminal endoscopic discectomy. The study will be carried out in the Pain Division of Department of Anaesthesiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. The primary outcome will measure the extent of pain. The intensity of the pain variable will be recorded using a visual analog scale (VAS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (maximum pain). Each patient will be asked to rate the perceived pain at pre procedure, during sheath placement, during inter vertebral disc removal, at the end of procedure and 1 week post operatively. The secondary outcomes will be to observe the number of doses of rescue analgesia (IV Fentanyl) needed , compare the complications , hemodynamic parameters, patient satisfaction score (as per Likerts scale) and disability (by Hi-ODI) between groups and to compare pre and post procedure CRP levels.