Single-injection peribulbar local anaesthesia--a study of fifty consecutive cases

Peribulbar anaesthesia is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to retrobulbar anaesthesia for local anaesthesia in intraocular surgery. The results of 50 consecutive single-injection peribulbar anaesthetics performed by the same surgeon are reported. A description of the procedure is included. The technique produced adequate conditions for surgery in all cases. Only 4% (two cases) were considered to have inadequate akinesia five minutes after the injection and required additional injections. None of the complications described with retrobulbar and other forms of peribulbar anaesthesia were observed. The procedure is relatively easy to master. It can be performed by surgeons or anaesthetists and can be used in the in-patient or day surgery setting. The study shows it to be a safe and reliable alternative to previously described methods of local anaesthesia.