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The incidence of transient neurological symptoms after spinal anaesthesia with lidocaine compared to prilocaine
Author(s) -
De Weert K.,
Traksel M.,
Gielen M.,
Slappendel R.,
Weber E.,
Dirksen R.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2044.2000.01618-4.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prilocaine , lidocaine , anesthesia , isobaric process , incidence (geometry) , spinal anesthesia , intrathecal , surgery , physics , optics , thermodynamics
The purpose of this double‐blind study was to investigate the incidence of transient neurological symptoms after the use of isobaric lidocaine and isobaric prilocaine for spinal anaesthesia. Seventy patients (ASA 1–2, age between 18 and 70 years) were randomly assigned to two groups of 35 patients each, to receive either isobaric 2% lidocaine 4 ml or isobaric 2% prilocaine 4 ml intrathecally, at the L 3−4 interspace. One patient in the prilocaine group could not be included because data were incomplete. On the first postoperative day, patients were evaluated for transient neurological symptoms. Pain was scored on a 10‐point scale. Seven patients (20%) in the lidocaine group had transient neurological symptoms with a mean pain score of 5.3, whereas no patient in the prilocaine group had these complaints (p = 0.006). Symptoms disappeared within 4 days. Prilocaine results in a lower incidence of transient neurological symptoms than lidocaine intrathecally and therefore it is more suitable for short surgical procedures.