Does the Single Use of Intravenous Dexamethasone Enhance Analgesic Quality of Pudendal Analgesia in Children Undergoing Hypospadias Surgery?

Hypospadias is a congenital malformation that occurs in an embryological process, and occurs with an incidence of about 1/300 in male children. The caudal block was the most commonly performed method for pain control after hypospadias surgery, and showed very good analgesic effect in the immediate postoperative stage. However, the caudal block is a neuraxial block that has a limitation in its duration with single shot and shows complications and adverse effects. In recent studies, the pudendal nerve block has been suggested as an alternative method. In children undergoing hypospadias surgery, the pudendal nerve block showed a longer duration compared to the caudal block, decreased the use of analgesics within 24 hours after surgery, and showed higher parental satisfaction. On the other hand, there have been many studies to prolong the duration of the relatively short duration of caudal block. Among them, dexamethasone administered intravenously is known to improve the duration of various regional blocks and reduce the administration of additional analgesics. The aim of this study is to verify whether a single administration of dexamethasone can enhance the effect of the pudendal nerve block in children 0.5-3 years of age undergoing hypospadias surgery.