To compare intraoperative and postoperative clinical properties of
levobupivacaine and
ropivacaine for sciatic nerve block, 50 ASA physical status I and II patients undergoing
hallux valgus repair received a femoral nerve block with 15 mL of 2%
mepivacaine. They were then randomly allocated in a double-blinded fashion to receive a sciatic nerve block with either 0.5%
levobupivacaine (n = 25) or 0.5%
ropivacaine (n = 25). An independent blinded observer evaluated the onset time of surgical
anesthesia as well as the quality of the surgical block and postoperative
analgesia. The median (range) onset time of surgical block at the sciatic nerve distribution was 30 min (5-60 min) with
levobupivacaine and 15 min (5-60 min) with
ropivacaine (P = 0.63). Four patients (two patients in each group) received a supplementary ankle block by the surgeon just before the beginning of surgery. All four patients also received IV
fentanyl supplementation, but in three of them,
propofol infusion was required to complete surgery (two in the
Levobupivacaine group [8%] and one in the
Ropivacaine group [4%]; P = 0.99). In six patients of the
Levobupivacaine group (24%) and five patients of the
Ropivacaine group (20%), IV
fentanyl supplementation was required to complete surgery (P = 0.99). No differences in the time to recovery of sensory and motor function were observed between the two groups, whereas median (range) duration of postoperative
analgesia was 16 h (8-24 h) with
levobupivacaine and 16 h (8-24 h) with
ropivacaine (P = 0.83). We conclude that 0.5%
levobupivacaine and 0.5%
ropivacaine provide comparable surgical
anesthesia and postoperative
analgesia.
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