[Comparative study of anesthesia and recovery with propofol and enflurane in cervical surgery]

The recovery times and the state of postoperative awakening were studied after anaesthesia with propofol or enflurane. The forty patients who were to undergo surgery for cold thyroid nodules were divided into two homogeneous groups which were similar in age, sex, weight and length of surgery. In one group, induction was carried out with propofol, fentanyl, pancuronium bromide, and maintained with 9 mg X kg-1 X h-1 propofol. In the other group, this was done with thiopentone, fentanyl, pancuronium bromide, followed by 0.8% enflurane. Repeat injections of fentanyl were given as required. The time between stopping giving the anaesthetic drug and eye opening was measured, as well as the performance in memorizing and sorting numbers; these two tests were carried out before and 2 h after surgery. The overall results did not show any differences between the two groups in recovery time or quality of awakening. In the propofol group, recovery time and quality were better than in the enflurane group if the patient was less than 50 years old or surgery lasted less than 100 min. In the propofol group, there were significant correlations between recovery time and age (r = 0.83), and between recovery time and duration of surgery (r = 0.87). The doses of this new product should therefore be modified according to the age of the patient and the length of surgery.