Abstract
Postthoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) was defined as the pain that recurs or persists along a thoracotomy scar at least two months following the surgical procedure. We report a serious PTPS patient who was ameliorated by intravenous drip infusion of lidocaine. A 79-year-old woman, who was diagnosed as right lung carcinoma, underwent a right lung lobectomy and was cut off the sixth rib and intercostal nerve at the operation. She complained of a serious pain (numerical rating scale 8), and the pain was not improved by intercostal nerve block or oral intake of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and pregabalin. An intravenous drip infusion of 100 mg lidocaine improved the pain and this effect was maintained for three days. An epidural block further relieved the pain, and it completely disappeared 90 days after the operation. We recommend the intravenous drip infusion of lidocaine for the treatment of refractory PTPS.
