Similar Pain and Opioid Use in Benign and Malignant Colorectal Resections

Comparing 641 benign and 276 malignant colorectal resection patients, initial unadjusted analysis showed higher pain scores and more opioids for benign cases. Yet, in an enhanced recovery pathway emphasizing non-opioid strategies, regression analysis nullified the differences. Notably, both groups exhibited comparable pain levels and opioid prescriptions postoperatively. This challenges previous inconclusive findings, suggesting that pain and opioid needs may align in enhanced recovery settings, irrespective of disease type.