A comparison of glucose-free 2% lidocaine and hyperbaric 5% lidocaine for spinal anaesthesia

Fifty patients scheduled to undergo transurethral surgery of the bladder were allocated to receive spinal anaesthesia with either glucose-free 2% lidocaine (80 mg) or hyperbaric 5% lidocaine (80 mg). Onset time, cephalad spread of analgesia, duration of analgesia, duration and intensity of motor block, quality of analgesia, and the patients' ability to walk 5 m and to micturate postoperatively were assessed. Onset and spread of analgesia were fast and comparable in the two groups. At 60 min, the median segmental level of analgesia was T9 and T10 for the 2% and the 5% group, respectively, allowing transurethral surgery to be performed for at least 1 h. In the 2% group the motor block was more pronounced and longer lasting than in the 5% group. Two patients in the 5% group needed general anaesthesia because of pain. The time from injection of the spinal anaesthetic until the patients were able to walk 5 m and to micturate was equal in the two groups, and 89% of all the patients were able to walk and micturate within 4 h. It is concluded that spinal anaesthesia with 80 mg and 2% or 5% lidocaine provides analgesia for transurethral surgery and is characterized by fast recovery of motor and detrusor function.