Peribulbar blockade with a short needle for phacoemulsification surgery.

BACKGROUND

Peribulbar blockade is still widely used for phacoemulsification surgery. The potential complications of this technique include central spread, globe perforation and retrobulbar hemorrhage. The 25 mm needle is the most common needle used to perform the block. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of a 12.5 mm needle in performing peribulbar blockade for phacoemulsification surgery.

METHODS

After obtaining the hospital research and the Human Ethics Committees' approval, 200 patients undergoing the phacoemulsification procedure under local anesthesia were enrolled in this descriptive study. Peribulbar blockade was performed with a 27 G, 12.5-mm-long needle. The needle was inserted transcutaneously through the lower eyelid into the inferotemporal quadrant. Digital pressure was applied by the thumb and index fingers around the needle hub during injection. After negative aspiration, a local anesthetic solution was injected until total drop of the upper eyelid was achieved. Ocular akinesia was assessed 10 min after the block using the simple akinesia score. A score of 3 or less was accepted to provide adequate analgesia for the surgical procedure to be performed. If the block was inadequate for surgery after 10 min, supplementary anesthesia was provided using the same needle.

RESULTS

Adequate analgesia after the first injection was reported in 90.5% of the patients while 9.5% required supplementary anesthesia. There were no major sight or life-threatening complications.

CONCLUSION

Using a 12.5-mm-long needle for peribulbar blockade produced satisfactory results. This technique is effective for phacoemulsification surgery.