Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate effective in easing pain from panretinal photocoagulation

Researchers randomized 35 patients into two groups: one received 200 µg oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate before undergoing panretinal photocoagulation at one visit and placebo at a second visit one week later. Group 2 received the lozenges in reverse order. Patients rated their pain as significantly reduced (mean 19.2 vs. 36.4; P = 0.0014) with treatment compared to placebo. Four patients (11 percent) reported moderate or severe adverse systemic side effects. The authors recommend treatment for patients in whom intolerable pain might result in undertreatment of proliferative retinopathy.