Abstract
We compared pharyngeal anesthesia with viscous lidocaine solution and lidocaine candy for the reduction in the degree of pain during and after upper GI endoscopy (GIE) gastroscopy A total of 248 patients who underwent GIE were randomized into the lidocaine candy group (candy ; 126 patients) or the viscous lidocaine solution group (viscous ; 122 patients). The patients were asked to assess using a visual analogue scale (VAS) how uncomfortable they were under the following conditions : while pharyngeal anesthesia was in the mouth ; immediately after pharyngeal anesthesia left the mouth ; during GIE ; and after GIE. We statistically compared the VAS score between the 2 groups. Results were as follows : with pharyngeal anesthesia in the mouth, candy group 12.7 (9.3-16.1) vs. viscous group 40.1 (35.6-45.6) (P<0.001) ; immediately after pharyngeal anesthesia left the mouth, candy group 14.3 (10.6-18.0) vs. viscous group 34.0 (29.0-39.0) (P<0.001) ; during GIE, candy group 48.9 (42.6-55.2) vs. viscous group 58.9 (52.9-64.9) (P<0.05 ; and after GIE, candy group 13.9 (10.2-17.6) vs. viscous group 26.4 (21.1-31.7) (P<0.001). We conclude that pharyngeal anesthesia using lidocaine candy reduced discomfort to a greater degree than viscous lidocaine solution under all conditions examined.
