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Abstract #18265 Published in IGR 3-3
The effect of sub-Tenon's anaesthesia on intraocular pressure
Alwitry A; Koshy Z; Browning AC; Kiel W; Holden REye 2001; 15: 733-735
PURPOSE: To assess the effect of sub-Tenon's anesthesia on intraocular pressure (IOP) prior to cataract surgery. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients undergoing phacoemulsification of cataract were recruited. Routine sub=Tenon's anesthesia was administered with 5 ml unpreserved 2% lignocaine. IOPs were measured immediately prior to and at one, three, five, and ten minutes after injection. Efficacy was assessed subjectively by the operating surgeon. No ocular compression was used. Pre- and post-injection IOPs were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, whereas all other results were compared with baseline using Student's two-tailed paired t tests. RESULTS: All patients achieved good analgesia and akinesis. There was no significant difference between the IOP prior to and one minute after injection. At all time intervals after three minutes, there was a significant reduction in IOP compared with the pre-injection measurement. At five minutes, the mean IOP reduction was 2.72 mmHg and, at ten minutes, IOP was lowered by 2.92 mmHg. Both reductions were statistically significant compared with baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Sub-Tenon's anesthesia does not cause any significant rise in IOP, thereby possibly making it the anesthetic technique of choice when an increase in IOP is undesirable. There is no indication for the use of an ocular pressure-reducing device when sub-Tenon's anesthesia is employed.
Mr A. Alwitry, Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, London Road, Derby DE1 2QK, UK. AmarAlwitry@aol.com
Classification:
12.17 Anesthesia (Part of: 12 Surgical treatment)