Perioperative Pain Management in Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies

Background: Developing effective strategies to manage perioperative pain remains a focus of cleft care. The present study's purpose was to systematically review perioperative pain control strategies for cleft lip and palate repair. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was performed. Primary outcomes included pain scale scores and time to analgesia failure. Cohen d normalized effect size permitted comparison between studies, and a fixed-effects model was used for analysis. I-2 and Q-statistic p values were calculated. Results: Twenty-three studies were included: eight of 23 studies provided data for meta-analytic comparison. Meta-analyses evaluated the efficacy of intraoperative nerve blocks on postoperative pain management. Meta-analysis included a total of 475 treatment and control patients. Cleft lip studies demonstrated significantly improved pain control with a nerve block versus placebo by means of pain scale scores (p < 0.001) and time to analgesia failure (p < 0.001). Measurement of effect size over time demonstrated statistically significant pain relief with local anesthetic. Palatoplasty studies showed significantly improved time to analgesia failure (p < 0.005) with maxillary and palatal nerve blocks. Multiple studies demonstrated an opioid-sparing effect with the use of local anesthetics and other nonopioid medications. Techniques for nerve blocks in cleft lip and palate surgery are reviewed. Conclusions: The present systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies demonstrates that intraoperative nerve blocks for cleft lip and palate surgery provide effective pain control. Opioid-sparing effects were appreciated in multiple studies. Intraoperative nerve blocks should be considered in all cases of cleft lip and palate repair to improve postoperative pain management.