Recovery following thiopentone or propofol anaesthesia assessed by computerized coordination measurements

Quantitative measurements of coordination ability and performance speed were carried out on 76 female day-case patients undergoing minor gynaecological operations. The women were assigned at random to the anaesthetic agent used, propofol 2.5 mg/kg or thiopentone 4 mg/kg. Spacing control, timing control and performance speed were recorded using a newly developed computerized coordination ability test system. The patients were tested once before the operation and 0.5, 1 and 2 h after awakening. Postoperatively the initial impairment and the subsequent regression towards preoperative test results were very similar whether the anaesthetic agent was propofol or thiopentone. Although the test apparatus was able to detect even minor differences, no postoperative test showed statistically significant differences between the two groups. We find it reasonable to conclude that there is no difference in recovery of coordination ability following propofol- or thiopentone-induced anaesthesia.