Lumbar Microdiscectomy Under Spinal and General Anesthesia: A Comparative Study.

AIM To compare the safety and efficacy of spinal anesthesia (SA) in patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy (LM). MATERIAL AND METHODS We evaluated 180 patients who underwent LM between 1 January 2012 and 5 July 2013. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and pre-, intra-, and postoperative information was determined from the patients' medical records. RESULTS Total anesthetic times were longer in the general anesthesia (GA) group. There was less bleeding at the surgical site in the SA group. Intraoperative blood pressure was significantly also lower in the SA group. Meanwhile, tachycardia was significantly higher in the GA group. The analgesic requirement in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) was higher in the general anesthesia group. At PACU admission, analgesic requirement, heart rate, and the mean arterial pressure were higher in the GA group. Postoperative nausea and vomiting was more frequent among patients recovering in general anesthesia group. SA patients had an increased incidence of urinary retention compared with GA patients. Pulmonary complications requiring specific treatment were insignificantly higher among GA patients. CONCLUSION In patients who undergo lumbar disc surgery, SA is a good alternative for experienced surgeons because of a more comfortable healing process.