[Double-blind study on the analgesic efficacy of tilidine (valoron) and pethidine (dolantin) in gastro-intestinal endoscopies and liver biopsies (author's transl)].

In a double-blind trial involving 99 patients, equi-analgesic doses of tilidine and pethidine (100 mg of each i.m.) were compared as to their effectiveness in laparoscopies, gastroscopies, esophagoscopies and liver needle biopsies. The two substances produced equally analgesic effects both during and after the various procedures, with the exception of the liver biopsies, in which tilidine was shown to be significantly more effective than pethidine. Whereas no sedation was noted in connection with tilidine medication, pethidine produced a marked, undesirable sleepiness in 12% of the cases observed. Due to the high analgesic efficacy and tolerance of tilidine found in both this and numerous other clinical trials and to its particular advantages over pethidine and other opiates (no respiratory depression, no effect on intestinal motility) tilidine can be recommended for premedication in gastrointestinal endoscopies and liver needle biopsies. Tilidine (Valoron) is not subject to the restrictions imposed by the West German narcotics laws.