Benzocaine Versus Placebo Spray for Pain Relief at Hysterosalpingogram

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Benzocaine Versus Placebo Spray for Pain Relief at Hysterosalpingogram

The objective of this study is to assess the utility of benzocaine spray versus a placebo spray in alleviating pain during and after hysterosalpingogram (HSG).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Analgesia; Pain Relief
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Benzocaine; Drug: Saline spray

Detailed Description

Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is a radiographic evaluation during which a radio-opaque medium is inserted through the cervical canal in order to define the size and shape of the uterine cavity and patency of the fallopian tubes. The utility of HSG is an integral part of the evaluation of infertile women for intrauterine pathology. In some cases, HSG can be a painful procedure. Poor pain control can limit the quality of the study due to inability to complete the procedure in cases of extreme discomfort. There is little consensus regarding pain control during HSG, although a number of approaches have been studied. Patients undergoing HSG are typically advised to premedicate with ibuprofen, which is consistent with the current standard of care. This study will assess pain control using a benzocaine spray (in addition to ibuprofen) in patients undergoing routine HSG at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. All patients who present to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for HSG will be eligible for the study. Benzocaine spray versus a placebo spray will be applied to a tenaculum (a surgical hooklike instrument used to grasp and hold the cervix). The tenaculum will then be applied to the cervix prior to HSG and pain relief will be assessed at 3 time intervals: 0, 5, and 30 minutes. The primary outcome is the mean difference in patients pain score and will be measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) which has been shown to be a valid and reliable scale. The secondary outcome will assess patient satisfaction in each group using a validated patient satisfaction survey. The study design will be prospective, randomized, placebo controlled, and double blinded.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • University of Pennsylvania

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• All women who present to Penn Fertility Care over the age of 18 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients under the age of 18
• Pregnant patients
• Patients with a history of hypersensitivity to benzocaine
• Patients with a history of asthma or bronchitis

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Benzocaine; Benzocaine spray (14%), an FDA approved drug, will be used to assess whether this provides additional pain relief at time of hysterosalpingogram.	Drug: Benzocaine
Placebo Comparator: Saline spray; A saline placebo spray will be used in the placebo group.	Drug: Saline spray; A saline spray will be used in the placebo group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Pain Score	The primary outcome is the difference in pain score using a validated visual analog scale before the procedure, which is designated as the pre-procedure (or baseline) pain score to the maximum pain during procedure (designated as time 0) These two pain scores will be subtracted and the change in pain score will be reported. The validated visual analog scale allows patients to report pain on a scale of 0 to 100 mm long. At the beginning and at the end, there are two descriptors representing extremes of pain (i.e. no pain = 0 and extreme pain = 100). The patient rated her pain by making a vertical mark on the 100-mm line. The measurement in millimeters was converted to the same number of points ranging from 0 to 100 points. There are no subgroups.	Pre-procedure (Baseline) and procedure (Time 0)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient Satisfaction	The patient's satisfaction will be assessed using a validated satisfaction scale 30 minutes post procedure.	30 minutes post procedure
Change in Pain Score From Pre-procedure to 5 Minutes Post Procedure.	The patients pain scores will also be assessed at 5 minutes post procedure and the change in pain scores from baseline to this time points will be analyzed. The pain scores will be subtracted to obtain the change in pain score	5 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Suleena K Kalra, MD, MSCE, University of Pennsylvania

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bachman EA, Senapati S, Sammel MD, Kalra SK. Randomized controlled trial of benzocaine versus placebo spray for pain relief at hysterosalpingogram. Reprod Biomed Online. 2014 Jun;28(6):748-52. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.02.012. Epub 2014 Mar 4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 6, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 15, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): August 19, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 28, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2017
• Last Verified: March 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain relief; Analgesia; Benzocaine; HSG; Hysterosalpingogram
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Central Nervous System Depressants; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Sensory System Agents; Anesthetics; Anesthetics, Local; Benzocaine
• Other Study ID Numbers: PFC-HSG-1