An evaluation of topical anaesthesia for myringotomy

The relative efficiency of 2 topical anaesthetic agents in controlling the pain arising from myringotomy and grommet insertion has been assessed by a prospective, single blind controlled trial. The 2 anaesthetics were 5% cocaine and a new lignocaine and prilocaine mixture named Emla. Following a standardized anaesthetic procedure the pain arising from myringotomy, aspiration of the middle ear and subsequent insertion of a grommet was recorded by the patient on a linear analogue scale. A multivariate analysis was performed to assess the factors which significantly affected the pain levels. Only the type of anaesthetic used played a major role, with Emla giving significantly better anaesthesia than cocaine.