Comparison of levobupivacaine over lignocaine for peribulbar anesthesia in cataract surgery – A randomized control study in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Regional anesthesia is a better alternative whenever general anesthesia is undesirable or contraindicated. Peribulbar block is considered preferable over retrobulbar block in achieving anesthesia for intraocular and extraocular surgeries. It is widely used because it is easier to perform. Objectives: This study compares the efficacy of levobupivacaine over lignocaine for peribulbar anesthesia in cataract surgery. Methods: A prospective, randomized double-blinded study comparing levobupivacaine for peribulbar anesthesia in cataract surgery was done with 30 patients in each group. Included patients were randomly categorized into Group 1 and Group 2. Group 1 received lignocaine with adrenaline and Group 2 received 0.5% levobupivacaine with main outcome variables of the study intraoperative and postoperative pain, motor sensory onset, akinesia score, and analgesia duration. Results: In both the groups, there was no significant difference in terms of age and gender. There was statistical significance between the two groups in terms of motor blockade. There is a significant mean difference between Group 1 and Group 2 when compared with akinesia score with P < 0.05. The pain was less in Group 2 than Group 1. There is no significant difference in both when compared with verbal pain score. Heart rate and blood pressure showed a difference. Conclusion: Topical anesthesia with levobupivacaine was more effective than lignocaine surgeries with better analgesia and lesser complication.

Keywords

• akinesia
• levobupivacaine
• peribulbar block
• rescue analgesia
• surgeon satisfaction