Single-injection percutaneous peribulbar anesthesia with a short needle as an alternative to the double-injection technique for cataract extraction.

BACKGROUND We evaluated the efficacy of a single-injection technique for percutaneous peribulbar anesthesia with a short needle as an alternative to the double-injection technique for cataract extraction. METHODS We included 200 patients who underwent elective cataract surgery randomized into 2 equal groups. They received either single-injection peribulbar anesthesia with a 16-mm needle or double-injection peribulbar anesthesia with a 25-mm needle. RESULTS Both techniques provided comparable akinesia. A similar number of patients in each group required supplementary injection. The total volume of local anesthetic used was less in the single-injection group. There were no serious complications in the 2 groups. CONCLUSION The single-injection technique for percutaneous peribulbar anesthesia with a short needle is a suitable alternative to the double-injection technique for cataract surgery.