Peribulbar anaesthesia for cataract surgery: prilocaine versus lignocaine and bupivacaine.
OBJECTIVE
Prilocaine has recently been introduced for use in ocular local anaesthesia. A prospective randomised double-masked study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of prilocaine 2% plain versus a mixture of lignocaine 1% and bupivacaine 0.5%, each with hyaluronidase.


METHODS
Seventy-five patients were recruited. Local anaesthetic was given by a two-injection transconjunctival peribulbar technique. Injection and perioperative pain were graded by visual analogue pain score (range 0-10). Akinesia and orbicularis function were graded by the surgeon.


RESULTS
The two anaesthetic mixtures were comparable in efficacy in producing anaesthesia and akinesia. Using the Mann-Whitney U-test for significance, pain of injection ranked as a mean of 0.88 for prilocaine and 1.03 for lignocaine and bupivacaine (p = 0.48, U = 635.5) Perioperative pain was ranked as a mean of 1.17 for prilocaine and 0.91 for lignocaine and bupivacaine (p = 0.41, U = 629.0).


CONCLUSIONS
Prilocaine is a useful alternative anaesthetic agent for eye surgery that has low toxicity and is effective without adrenaline.
Henderson
T R
TR
Department of Ophthalmology, York District Hospital, UK.
Franks
W
W
D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain; D011318:Prilocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D011318:Prilocaine; D008012:Lidocaine; D002045:Bupivacaine