A double-blind, randomized, prospective, comparative study aimed to compare the effectiveness of postoperative pain relief provided by Ketorolac and Ketoprofen following uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UP3).

In total, 24 subjects were enrolled and separated into two groups: 14 received Ketorolac (30 mg intravenously every 8 hours, starting at the induction of anesthesia), while 10 received Ketoprofen (100 mg intravenously every 12 hours). In case of insufficient pain relief, volunteers were given a rescue opioid medication, Tramadol. Pain intensity was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS), and the results were analyzed statistically with the utilization of the chi-squared test and Student's t-test.

Compared to patients treated with Ketoprofen, those medicated with Ketorolac required fewer opioids as supplementary treatment (Table 1).

The assessment of pain intensity at the 12 and 24-hour marks following surgery showed notable distinctions when using the VAS and the verbal rating scale. Specifically, 71% of patients administered Ketorolac reported mild or no pain at the 12-hour postoperative mark, while 70% of those who received Ketoprofen indicated moderate or bothersome pain (Figure 1).

At the 24-hour postoperative mark, 60% of volunteers who received Ketoprofen indicated experiencing moderate or bothersome pain, while 86% of those who were administered Ketorolac reported mild or no pain (Figure 2).

Notably, no complications were observed during both the perioperative and postoperative periods.

Compared to Ketoprofen, Ketorolac proved to be a superior choice for managing immediate postoperative pain following UP3, as it resulted in reduced pain levels and a lower requirement for opioids among patients.