The impact of intrathecal morphine versus Continuous epidural analgesia on return of bowel function in patients undergoing Bricker: a prospective, randomized controlled trial

This study aims to compare the effects of intrathecal morphine (ITM) and continuous epidural analgesia (CEA) on bowel function recovery after Bricker surgery.This study was a prospective, randomized controlled trial that included 72 patients with bladder cancer undergoing elective Bricker surgery, who were randomly assigned to either the ITM group (n=36) or the CEA group (n=36). Postoperatively, patients in both groups received either ITM or CEA for pain management, and postoperative bowel function recovery time, pain scores, PONV, itching, and other indicators were recorded.The ITM group had a significantly longer bowel function recovery time (25.7 (3.4) h) compared to the EA group (20.2 (3.2) h) (P<0.0001). The ITM group had a significantly longer time to first mobilization (23.6 (2.2) h) compared to the EA group (19.0 (3.1) h) (P< 0.0001). The incidence of PONV and itching was significantly higher in the ITM group (34.48%) compared to the CEA group (6.90%) (P=0.0206).CEA effectively controls postoperative pain and promotes bowel function recovery, whereas ITM may prolong the recovery time and lead to a higher incidence of PONV and itching.