Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare general anesthesia (GA) and sedoanalgesia (SA) with dexmedetomidine in terms of anesthetic and surgical outcomes in dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) under bispectral index (BIS) monitoring. METHODS: In this prospective randomized controlled study, 44 adult patients (≥ 18 y) were divided into two groups. Standard GA was induced in the GA group (n = 22), and dexmedetomidine-based SA in the SA group (n = 22). BIS monitoring was performed in all patients. Hemodynamic parameters, amount of intraoperative bleeding, duration of anesthesia and surgery, postoperative pain scores, complications, and patient and surgeon satisfaction were recorded. RESULTS: The hemodynamic parameters, amount of intraoperative bleeding, duration of anesthesia and surgery, postoperative pain score, complications, and patient and surgeon satisfaction were similar between the two groups. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the SA group (p = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that SA with dexmedetomidine accompanied by BIS monitoring can be an alternative to GA in selected patients undergoing external DCR surgery, because the anesthetic and surgical processes are similar to those of GA, and patient satisfaction is higher than that with GA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05397301.