Figure 2. Patient's self-report of greatest pain with movement as mean visual analog score (VAS) plus/minus SEM. The extent of the sensory block was scored using 1 point per dermatome per side from L1 to T2 for a maximum of 24 points. Point ratings are arbitrarily divided into three groups: 0-7, 8-15, and 16-24 points. Postoperative day 0 represents the VAS plus/minus SEM obtained 20 min after administration of 10 ml 1.5% lidocaine. Patients in the group with 16-24 had significantly less pain; *P < 0.05.