Comparison 2. Intravenous (IV) lidocaine versus thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA).

Outcome or subgroup title	No. of studies	No. of participants	Statistical method	Effect size
1 Pain score (VAS 0 to 10 cm) at rest, 'intermediate time points' (24 h)	2	102	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	1.51 [‐0.29, 3.32]
2 Pain score (VAS 0 to 10 cm) at rest, 'late time points' (48 h)	2	102	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	0.98 [‐1.19, 3.16]
3 Time to first bowel movement (h)	2	102	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	‐1.66 [‐10.88, 7.56]
4 Length of hospital stay (days)	2	102	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	‐0.02 [‐0.38, 0.33]
5 Intraoperative opioid consumption (MEQ, mg)	2	100	Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)	7.27 [‐13.92, 28.47]