Efficacy of intra-arterial lidocaine administration on pain and inflammatory response after uterine artery embolization for symptomatic fibroids

Background There have been conflicting outcomes regarding the use of lidocaine to reduce pain after uterine artery embolization (UAE). Purpose To investigate the efficacy of intra-arterial lidocaine injection for pain and inflammatory response control within 24 h of UAE for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Material and Methods Of 1530 patients who underwent UAE for uterine fibroids in 2007-2021, 5 mL of 1% lidocaine was injected into each uterine artery immediately after UAE in 23 patients. A disease-matched control group (n = 23) who did not receive intra-arterial lidocaine was generated from the same registry. The pain score, white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and fentanyl consumption were compared before and after UAE. Complete infarction of the dominant fibroid was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. Results Significantly lower WBC count, CRP level, and NLR were noted 24 h after UAE in the lidocaine group. No statistically significant difference was noted in the pain score between groups at 0-24 h. The cumulative fentanyl dose administered during the first 24 h after UAE was not significantly different. After embolization, fibroid-related symptoms resolved in all patients. No significant difference was observed in the rate of complete infarction of the dominant fibroid. Conclusion Lidocaine administration immediately after UAE resulted in a significant reduction in the inflammatory response. However, such a difference in the inflammatory reaction did not contribute to significant reductions in pain scores or fentanyl consumption.