Bupivacaine-lidocaine versus Ropivacaine-lidocaine Retrobulbar Anesthesia in Vitreoretinal Surgery

Purpose: To compare efficacies of bupivacaine-lidocaine and ropivacaine-lidocaine mixtures in terms of inducing retrobulbar anesthesia during vitrectomy.Methods: Sixty patients who underwent retrobulbar anesthesia during vitrectomy were divided into two groups. Patients in group 1 received a mixture of bupivacaine and lidocaine (n = 30); patients in group 2 received a mixture of ropivacaine and lidocaine (n = 30). The effects of the two combinations were retrospectively compared and analyzed. The onset times of analgesia and akinesia were measured. Two hours after surgery, sensory blockade was assessed by touching the corneas with cotton swabs and by communicating with patients. Ocular movement was evaluated in four gaze direction quadrants. A 10-point visual analog pain scale was used to assess pain during and 2 hours after surgery. Intra- and postoperative complications were recorded.Results: The mean analgesia onset times in groups 1 and 2 were 94.62 ± 28.87 and 92.32 ± 35.53 seconds, respectively (p = 0.071); the mean akinesia onset times were 147.89 ± 59.35 and 132.57 ± 76.38 seconds (p = 0.223), respectively. Patients in group 2 reported significantly less postoperative pain and exhibited less postoperative ocular movement, compared with patients in group 1 (both p = 0.002). One patient in group 1 experienced respiratory depression after retrobulbar blockade.Conclusions: When retrobulbar anesthesia is required during vitrectomy, a ropivacaine-lidocaine mixture and a bupivacaine-lidocaine mixture induce anesthesia with similar rapidity. However, the ropivacaine-lidocaine mixture is safer and affords better-quality intra- and postoperative anesthesia.

Regional blockade for prolonged anesthesia in enucleation and evisceration

Regional anesthesia is widely used in ophthalmology both as an independent method and in combination. Retrobulbar anesthesia has risks of complications and is undesirable in the surgical treatment of choroidal melanoma due to the risk of metastasis of tumor cells when it is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to search for alternative methods of regional blockades in order to create prolonged anesthesia. Purpose. To develop and evaluate the clinical efficacy of pterygopalatine blockade as a component of combined method of anesthesia for evisceration or enucleation of the eyeball. Methods. A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of intraoperative anesthesia and the course of postoperative period was carried out in patients of two clinical groups formed depending on the method of anesthesia. Results. Intraoperative monitoring of hemodynamics in the groups did not differ. The nature of pain in the patients of the compared groups in the postoperative period had significant differences in presence and intensity of pain on the scale of verbal sensations. Discussion. Use of pterygopalatine blockade with levobupivacaine in combination with dexamethasone as an adjuvant allows getting a prolonged analgesic, anti-inflammatory and decongestant effect. This makes it possible to avoid the use of opioid analgesics in the early postoperative period, that is, to avoid such systemic side effects as nausea, dizziness, and in rare cases vomiting, which generally improves the quality of the postoperative period. Conclusions. Use of pterygopalatine ganglion blockade with local prolonged-acting anesthetic levobupivacaine and dexamethasone as an adjuvant based on inhaled anesthesia with sevoflurane provides safe and effective anesthesia in patients with evisceration or enucleation of the eyeball, both in the intra- and postoperative period. Key words: enucleation; evisceration; pterygopalatine blockade; dexamethasone.

Continuation of aspirin therapy before pars plana vitrectomy: Safe or not?

Purpose: To assess the safety of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in patients undergoing systemic treatment with aspirin. Methods: This prospective study enrolled consecutive patients undergoing PPV under percutaneous retrobulbar anesthesia between February 2016 and July 2018. Sixty-seven eyes from 67 patients on regular aspirin therapy were randomized into two groups: the continuation group (33 eyes), with aspirin continued during the perioperative period; and the discontinuation group (34 eyes), with aspirin discontinued for 3 to 7 days before surgery. Forty-three eyes from 43 patients who had no antiplatelet/anticoagulant therapy were used as a control group. Results: There was no significant difference in the incidence of hemorrhagic complications or the need for additional operations due to hemorrhagic complications among the three groups ( p = 0.740 and p = 0.324, respectively). None of the patients in these three groups suffered from thromboembolic events during the follow-up period. Except for one case (3.0%) of lid ecchymosis in the continuation group, no eye experienced bleeding complications associated with the retrobulbar local anesthesia. In the continuation group, three eyes (9.1%) demonstrated postoperative hyphema that resolved spontaneously. In the discontinuation group, two eyes (5.9%) suffered from postoperative vitreous hemorrhage, of which one eye required secondary surgery and the other cleared spontaneously. One eye (2.9%) in the discontinuation group demonstrated postoperative hyphema that absorbed spontaneously. Three eyes (7.0%) in the control group experienced hyphema that absorbed spontaneously. Conclusion: The outcomes of our study indicate that PPV under retrobulbar anesthesia can be safely performed without discontinuing systemic aspirin therapy.