↓ Figure 1. CONSORT flow diagram of the study
population.
| Journal of Current Surgery, ISSN 1927-1298 print, 1927-1301 online, Open Access |
| Article copyright, the authors; Journal compilation copyright, J Curr Surg and Elmer Press Inc |
| Journal website https://jcs.elmerpub.com |
Original Article
Volume 15, Number 2, November 2025, pages 29-36
Comparing Pain and Disability Outcomes for Patients Receiving Either Intracostal or Pericostal Closure Technique Following Thoracotomy Incision: Results of a Randomized Trial
Figure
Tables
| Intracostal suture group | Pericostal suture group | P valuea | % Not applicable | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aIndependent-Samples t-test. MME: morphine milligram equivalent. | ||||
| In-hospital | ||||
| Days to ambulation | 2.00 (1.6) | 1.56 (1.0) | 0.33 | 0 |
| Days to first bowel movement | 2.93 (1.7) | 2.77 (1.3) | 0.79 | 0 |
| Days on acute pain service | 3.47 (1.4) | 3.56 (2.4) | 0.9 | 6.1 |
| Days at hospital | 6.00 (3.0) | 6.00 (2.9) | 1 | 0 |
| Days with chest tube | 3.31 (5.94) | 2.69 (1.8) | 0.41 | 0 |
| N (%) ≥ 4 or 90 MME | ||||
| Pain intensity at rest | 3.11 (1.9) | 2.57 (2.2) | 0.45 | 9 (27) |
| Pain intensity during movement | 3.09 (2.1) | 3.10 (2.3) | 0.99 | 11 (33) |
| Daily opioid consumption | 17.42 (28.8) | 9.56 (15.9) | 0.34 | 1 (3) |
| Group 1 intracostal sutures | Group 2 pericostal sutures | P valuea | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | % > 0 | Mean (SD) | % > 0 | ||
| aIndependent-Samples Kruskal-Wallis test; bMcGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form-2. | |||||
| Pain intensityb | |||||
| Baseline | 0.24 (0.7) | 25 | 0.51 (1.0) | 33.3 | 0.81 |
| Discharge | 1.94 (1.93) | 93.7 | 2.28 (2.3) | 83.3 | 0.86 |
| 3 months post-surgery | 0.37 (0.5) | 68.7 | 0.51 (1.3) | 38.9 | 0.27 |
| Pain disability | |||||
| Baseline | 2.53 (5.9) | 28.7 | 4.41 (8.9) | 33.3 | 0.49 |
| Discharge | 35.69 (22.02) | 93.7 | 33.16 (23.2) | 83.3 | 0.57 |
| 3 months post-surgery | 10.22 (15.24) | 68.7 | 4.75 (11.5) | 44.4 | 0.21 |
| Pain catastrophizing | |||||
| Baseline | 13.69 (13.0) | 93.7 | 7.65 (7.0) | 83.3 | 0.10 |
| Discharge | 10.07 (5.09) | 100 | 12.81 (12.1) | 94.4 | 0.84 |
| 3 months post-surgery | 6.18 (7.3) | 81.2 | 6.54 (8.7) | 32.2 | 0.81 |