Aim:The aim of this study was to compare the effects of spinal anesthesia (SA) and general anesthesia (GA) for lumbar microdiscectomy in terms of their cost-effectiveness, and perioperative outcomes.
Material and Methods:We randomly allocated 100 consecutive patients scheduled to undergo elective lumbar microdiscectomy, into either SA or GA groups.
We recorded many parameters, including demographic aspects, body mass index (BMI), perioperative hemodynamics, time from entering the operating room (OR) until incision, operative time, time from application of the surgical dressing to exiting the OR, blood loss, post anesthetic care unit (PACU) time, preoperative and postoperative pain scores, postoperative analgesic requirements, first mobilization time, first oral intake, the length of hospital stay, time to return to work and perioperative anesthetic costs. Patients, anesthesiologists and neurosurgeons were handed a questionaire in order to determine their satisfaction with the procedure before discharge.
Results:Many variables were found to be better in the SA group: The mean arterial pressure and heart rate changes were significantly lower, time from entering the OR until incision, operative time, time from application of the surgical dressing to exiting the OR, PACU time, the length of hospital stay, and the time until returning to work were shorter; the postoperative pain scores, the analgesic requirements, the intraoperative blood loss, and the cost of anesthesia were all lower; the first mobilization time and first oral intake occurred earlier; and finally, the satisfaction of the patients and surgeons was higher. We encountered no complications.
Conclusion:Based on our results, SA was reliable and clinically successful for lumbar microdiscectomy
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