The efficacy of gabapentin supplementation for pain control after lumbar laminectomy and discectomy: A meta-analysis study

Abstract

Background: Gabapentin supplementation may have some potential in pain control after lumbar laminectomy and discectomy, and this meta-analysis aims to explore the impact of gabapentin supplementation on postoperative pain management for lumbar laminectomy and discectomy. Methods: PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched, and we included randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of gabapentin supplementation on the pain control of lumbar laminectomy and discectomy. Results: Five randomized controlled trials were finally included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with control intervention for lumbar laminectomy and discectomy, gabapentin supplementation was associated with significantly lower pain scores at 2 hours (MD = −2.75; 95% CI = −3.09 to −2.41; P < .00001), pain scores at 4 hours (MD = −2.28; 95% CI = −3.36 to −1.20; P < .0001), pain scores at 24 hours (MD = −0.70; 95% CI = −0.86 to −0.55; P < .00001) and anxiety score compared to control intervention (MD = −1.32; 95% CI = −1.53 to −1.11; P < .00001), but showed no obvious impact on pain scores at 12 hours (MD = −0.58; 95% CI = −1.39 to 0.22; P = .16). In addition, gabapentin supplementation could significantly decrease the incidence of vomiting in relative to control intervention (OR = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.12–0.81; P = .02), but they had similar incidence of nausea (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.15–1.73; P = .28). Conclusions: Gabapentin supplementation benefits to pain control after lumbar laminectomy and discectomy.