[Steroid anesthesia in microsurgery of the middle ear]

The essential requirements for correct anaesthesia in microsurgery of the middle ear are described and results obtained with an association of Althesin and NLA drugs in 52 stapedectomies, 27 tympanoplasties, and 14 myringoplasties are presented. Althesin was injected i.v. to induce anaesthesia. Maintenance was obtained by means of the continuous venous perfusion of a 10% solution. The usefulness of the association was apparent from the good cardiac stability noted throughout anaesthesia, during which adrenaline was routinely infiltrated via the external meatus. In addition, the manageability of Althesin enabled a modest degree of hypotension to be established during certain stages of the operation. This enabled the intraoperative bleeding that is one of the major snags in this type of surgery to be reduced in some cases. Other benefits related to the degree of postoperative sedation required and the low toxicity of the drugs employed.