A Preemptive Epidural Ropivacaine for Postoperative Pain Relief in Degenerative Lumbar Spine Surgery

This prospective randomized study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of epidural injection of ropivacaine on the relief of pain in patients undergoing laminectomy. Total 60 patients will be randomized into one of two groups (groupC or groupI) based on Excel number generation. Patients in group C will receive no medication intraoperatively, and patients in group I will receive epidural injection of 0.1% ropivacaine 10ml before skin incision. Visual analogue scale pain scores, fentanyl consumption and the frequency at which patients pushed the button (FPB) of a patient-controlled analgesia system will be recorded at 4,12,24,48 hour postoperatively.