Background/aims: Transnasal endoscopy is generally recognized as a less painful endoscopic procedure. The pretreatment procedure, particularly anesthesia of the nasal cavities, is reported to be vitally important for alleviating pain.
Methodology: The study comprised 120 patients treated by the spray method, 203 treated by the stick method, and 100 treated by the stick + pharyngeal anesthesia method between April 2005 and March 2009. We investigated the pain levels using three pretreatment methods based on the results of a questionnaire.
Results: Pain at the time of insertion of an endoscope into the nasal cavity was common in all patients. It was experienced in 58.3%, 53.7% and 41.0% of patients treated by the spray, stick and stick + pharyngeal anesthesia methods, respectively. The pain was alleviated by the stick + pharyngeal anesthesia method significantly (p=0.022). Patients who did not experience any pain at the time of the endoscopic examination were 15.0%, 16.2% and 18.0%, respectively, with no significant differences.
Conclusion: The least painful pretreatment procedure in the endoscopic examination was the stick + pharyngeal anesthesia method.