A Controlled Trial of Posthysterectomy Abdominal Colic

The two most common drugs prescribed to relieve postoperative abdominal colic are peppermint oil (a relaxant) and glycerin suppositories (a stimulant), but their efficacy is uncertain. We compared the two agents with placebo in a randomized controlled trial. Sixty-nine women developed abdominal colic after a hysterectomy for dysfunctional uterine bleeding. The duration of postoperative colic was 5 times less for women allocated glycerin suppositories compared to women initially allocated peppermint oil or placebo (median duration of pain: 8 h compared with 39 h for placebo and 47 h for peppermint oil; Kruksal-Wallis H score = 24.5, p < 0.0001). Glycerin is an effective treatment for postoperative abdominal colic, but peppermint oil is no better than placebo. (J GYNECOL SURG 9:201, 1993)