Photo Credit: Mohammed Haneefa Nizamudeen

The following is a summary of “Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation for Analgesia During Outpatient Endometrial Biopsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” published in the November 2024 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Wu et al. 

Researchers conducted a prospective study to evaluate whether Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS) reduces pain during outpatient endometrial biopsy.  

They compared active TENS with placebo TENS during endometrial biopsy. Pain was measured using a 0- to 100-millimeter (mm) visual analog scale (VAS) immediately after the procedure. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction, tolerability, and pain scores at other procedural time points. To detect a 15-mm reduction in pain with a 30-mm standard deviation (SD), 80.0% power, and a significance level of 0.05, 64 participants were required per arm.  

The results showed 135 participants (67 in the placebo TENS group and 68 in the active TENS group) were randomized (December 2022 and December 2023). Median pain scores immediately after biopsy were 50 mm (IQR 20–80 mm) in the active TENS group and 60 mm (IQR 40–100 mm) in the placebo TENS group (P=.039). Participants with higher-than-median baseline anxiety reported postprocedural pain scores of 50 mm (IQR 40–80 mm) in the active TENS group compared with 80 mm (IQR 50–100 mm) in the placebo TENS group. Satisfaction scores were 87.5 mm (IQR 60–100 mm) for active TENS and 70 mm (IQR 41–100 mm) for placebo TENS, with 85.3% of participants willing to use active TENS for future biopsies. Minimal side effects were noted, including 1 participant reporting itching at the pad site.  

They concluded that active TENS showed higher satisfaction and reduced pain than placebo TENS, but the clinical significance of pain reduction was limited.  

Source: journals.lww.com/greenjournal/abstract/9900/transcutaneous_electric_nerve_stimulation_for.1184.aspx