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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

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Paravertebral transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduces movement during general anesthesia with isoflurane
Hao-Po Su1, Jen-Yan Tso, Yi-Shen Chen
1Department of Anesthesiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Abstract:
We evaluated paravertebral transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as a means of enhancing anesthesia during hysterectomy. Patients were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 21) and control (n = 20) groups. Anesthesia with isoflurane was performed uniformly for all patients. Paravertebral (T6 and T7) TENS (50 mA, 15 Hz, continuously) was applied in the experimental group. After 15 min of isoflurane, a lower abdominal, skin-to-adipose-tissue incision was made. Seventeen of 21 patients in the experimental group showed no arm or leg movements during the incision, compared to 8 with 20 patients in the control group (P = 0.007). TENS deserves further exploration as an adjunct technique for general anesthesia.
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