NCT07097220

Effects of Different Anesthetic Techniques on Intraoperative and Postoperative Pain Levels and Cognitive Function in Patients Undergoing Hepatectomy for Liver Cancer

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 106 (actual)
• Sponsor: Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Qingchun Campus, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, · Other Government
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

To evaluate the effects of general anesthesia (GA) versus combined general and epidural anesthesia (GEA) on postoperative pain, cognitive dysfunction (POCD), hospital stay, and recovery quality in liver cancer patients undergoing hepatectomy. A retrospective analysis of 80 liver cancer patients was conducted, categorized by analgesic adequacy, pain recovery, and POCD incidence: adequate vs. inadequate analgesia (n=50 vs. n=30), favorable vs. delayed pain recovery (n=36 vs. n=44), and POCD vs. non-POCD (n=42 vs. n=38). Based on these results, a prospective study (April 2024-April 2025) enrolled patients scheduled for elective hepatectomy, assigned to the GA group (n=59) or GEA group (n=47). Primary outcomes included intraoperative analgesic consumption, postoperative VAS pain scores, MoCA cognitive scores, hospital stay length, and adverse event rates.

Detailed description

Compared to GA alone, combined epidural-general anesthesia provides better perioperative pain control, reduces POCD risk, shortens hospitalization, and enhances recovery. GEA is a preferable anesthetic approach for liver cancer surgery.

Conditions

• Liver Cancer
• Hepatectomy
• Anesthesia Techniques
• Postoperative Pain
• Cognitive Dysfunction
• Epidural-general Anesthesia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	General Anesthesia (GA) group	In the General Anesthesia (GA) group (n = 59), patients received combined intravenous-inhalation general anesthesia. Anesthesia induction was performed using propofol and remifentanil, followed by maintenance with sevoflurane to ensure adequate anesthetic depth and hemodynamic stability throughout the procedure.
DRUG	General-Epidural Anesthesia (GEA) group	In the General-Epidural Anesthesia (GEA) group (n = 47), patients received the same general anesthesia protocol as the GA group, in addition to epidural anesthesia. An epidural catheter was placed preoperatively at the T7-T9 vertebral level using a midline approach under strict aseptic conditions. Following successful catheterization and confirmation of proper placement, a continuous intraoperative infusion of 0.25% ropivacaine was administered via the epidural route to provide segmental analgesia and reduce intraoperative opioid requirements.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-05-16
• Primary completion: 2025-06-13
• Completion: 2025-06-15
• First posted: 2025-07-31
• Last updated: 2025-07-31

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China