The intrathecal spread of hyperbaric dibucaine in adolescents

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Abstract
We investigated the spread of spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric dibucaine in 20 adolescents aged 9–18 yr and 20 adults aged 23–53 yr. No significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to height, whereas a statistical significant was found between the two groups with regard to weight. Spinal anesthesia was conducted with Neo-Percamin S® injected at the L3–L4 interspace through a 25-gauge spinal needle. Injected volumes of the anesthetic solution were calculated from the patients’ height at 0.01 ml·cm−1. In adolescents, 1.6±0.1 ml (mean±SD) of the anesthetic solution produced 19.4 ±1.5 spinal segments blocked. In adults, 1.6±0.1 ml of the solution produced 13.4±1.6 spinal segments blocked. A high spinal anesthesia above T5 was achieved in 11 (85%) patients in adolescents, whereas such a high level of spinal anesthesia was not experienced in adults. These results suggest that the hyperbaric dibucaine solution for spinal anesthesia in adolescents may have a tendency to produce an unexpectedly extensive spread of anesthesia.