Prolonged differential wound hyperalgesia after an interval of unilateral epidural blockade during lower abdominal surgery.

We assessed postoperative pain at rest and with movement along with wound hyperalgesia in a patient who had undergone lower abdominal surgery under general anesthesia with a unilateral epidural block that persisted throughout surgery and in whom the epidural catheter was replaced immediately afterward. Pain and wound hyperalgesia were consistently greater on the "unblocked" side for the 3-wk period of observation. Thus, even imperfect intraoperative attenuation of noxious stimuli can lead to persistent reductions in postoperative pain.