Perioperative changes of the linguistic functions in women after gynecological laparoscopic operations under propofol...

Perioperative stress and exposure to anesthetics may trigger alterations in cognition. In this study, a group of women underwent neuropsychological evaluation to measure the influence of inhalational and intravenous anesthesia on linguistic performance, in the context of the perioperative inflammatory response and duration.

Patients undergoing elective gynecological laparoscopic operations were randomly assigned to receive either propofol-based anesthesia (PBA) or sevoflurane-based anesthesia (SBA). The Vocabulary subtest of the Polish version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Łatysz test [ŁT, subtests: correct words (CW) and all words (AW)], and Word Fluency Test [WFT subtest letters: F, A, S, and categories: animals (An), fruits (Fr), vegetables (Ve)] were applied before and 24 h after anesthesia. Leukocyte count and smear as well as C-reactive protein were analyzed in the same time period. Duration of anesthesia was recorded.

Sixty-one patients were included in the study (PBA: 29, SBA: 32). The comparison of the pre- and postoperative difference in results between the PBA and SBA groups showed a significant difference in one test (WFT-A). A postoperative increase in the results occurred in more scales in the SBA group (ŁT-CW, ŁT-AW, WFT-A, and WFT-Ve) than in the PBA group (ŁT-AW). There were single correlations between the inflammatory markers and the results of linguistic tests. The duration of anesthesia did not influence the results of linguistic tests.

The linguistic performance in the perioperative period was stable, with increases noted in several of the tested domains, predominantly in the SBA group.