Is caudal epidural anaesthesia effective for anorectal surgery?

ABSTRACT

To evaluate the efficacy of caudal epidural anaesthesia in selected patients having anorectal surgical conditions. A prospective randomized study. Department of Anesthesia and Department of Surgery Lahore General Hospital, Lahore from September 2001 to August 2003. The study includes 90 pts having common anorectal surgical conditions recruited with consent over 2 years. All patients were subjected to surgery planned under caudal block. Seventy nine patients [87%] were satisfied with the method of anesthesia and eighty three [92%] patients showed their satisfaction with the post operative pain control. Seventy six patients [84%] were contended with the preoperative information and seventy nine patients [87%] showed their willingness to choose this type of anaesthesia if required again. In ten patients there was failure of block resulted in a failure rate of about 11.11%. The cost effectiveness, minimal requirement, satisfactory anaesthesia an[high patients acceptability make caudal anaesthesia a usefull option for minor anal surgery