Is transoral sphenopalatine ganglion blockade more effective on postoperative pain than endoscopic sphenopalatine ganglion blockade?

Purpose In this study, we aimed to examine and compare the effects of endoscopic SPGB and transoral SPGB on postoperative pain control and patient satisfaction in patients undergoing septoplasty. Methods Participants were randomly divided into three groups, no blockade (n:20), endoscopic SPGB (n:20), and transoral SPGB (n:20). Those who had no blockage were included in the control group. Demographic data of patients, such as age and sex, VAS (visual analogue scale) and postoperative pain scores (PPS) [determined at arrival in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and after 2, 6, 12, and 24 h], general analgesic use (24 and 168 h after surgery) and postoperative Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) values were recorded and compare them. Results The PPS PACU of 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, and 24-h values of the transoral group were lower than the endoscopic and control groups ( p < 0.001).The values of 24 h and 168 h of analgesic use in the transoral group were lower than in the control and endoscopic groups ( p < 0.001).The average recovery QoR-15 scores at 12 h and 24 h differed according to the groups ( p < 0.001) and the highest values were in the transoral group ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Transoral SPGB is more effective in postoperative pain control than endoscopic SPGB, it decreases the use of postoperative analgesics and improves postoperative recovery scores.