E. Gignac et al., COMPARISON OF FENTANYL, SUFENTANIL AND ALFENTANIL DURING AWAKE CRANIOTOMY FOR EPILEPSY, Canadian journal of anaesthesia, 40(5), 1993, pp. 421-424
Neurolept anaesthesia is used during awake craniotomy for epilepsy sur
gery. This study compares analgesia, sedation and the side effects of
the newer opioids sufentanil and alfentanil, with those of fentanyl in
patients undergoing awake craniotomy. Thirty patients were randomized
into three groups, each received droperidol, dimenhydrinate and the c
hosen opioid as a bolus followed by an infusion. The opioid doses used
were fentanyl 0.75 mug . kg-1 plus 0.01 mug . kg-1 . min-1; sufentani
l 0.075 mug . kg-1 plus 0.0015 mug . kg-1 . Min-1, and alfentanil 7.5
mug . kg-1 plus 0.5 mug . kg-1 . min-1. There were no differences in t
he requirements for droperidol, dimenhydrinate or in the incidence of
complications among the three groups. The total doses of the opioids r
equired were fentanyl 4.9 +/- 1.3 mug . kg-1, sufentanil 0.6 +/- 0.2 m
ug . kg-1 and alfentanil 149 +/- 36 mug . kg-1. Two patients became un
cooperative requiring general anaesthesia. The conditions for surgery,
electrocorticography and for stimulation testing were satisfactory in
all other patients. We conclude that the newer opioids did not offer
any benefit over