Comparison of halothane/thiopental and propofol anesthesia for strabismus surgery

Day case surgery has become a widely accepted practice for many ophthalmological procedures including strabismus surgery. Prompt recovery from anesthesia and minimal postoperative morbidity are especially requested to the anesthesiologists to deal with the high day case surgery burden. The purpose of this study was to compare two anesthesia techniques, halothane/thiopental anesthesia and propofol anesthesia, for patients undergoing monocular strabismus surgery. We studied the level of postoperative consciousness, nausea and vomiting, ocular pain, starting oral intake and activity in 43 patients, ranging from 7 to 41 years of age. A scoring system was used to assess these parameters in the first postoperative 48 h. Although there was not a significant difference in the level of ocular pain, the propofol group had less morbidity in terms of having a better level of consciousness and appetite, less nausea and vomiting and enhanced activity than the halothane/thiopental group. We conclude that propofol anesthesia has significant advantages over halothane/thiopental anesthesia on an outpatient basis for strabismus surgery.