Abstract:Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of cyrotherapy of intercostal nerves for postoperative pain relief following thoracotomy.Methods:250 patients were randomly designated into two groups,125 cases each.Patients in test group received intercostal nerves frozen,and patients in control group did not receive intercostal nerves frozen.The dosage of narcotics used,the visual analogue score(VAS) and possible complications such as pneumonia and atelectasis were examined.Results:The dosage of analgesic,the VAS and lung complications in test group were significantly less than those in the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion:Freezing intercostal nerves during thoracotomy can effectively relieve postoperative chest pain,reduce the dosage of narcotics and the occurrence of lung complications.