[Regional anesthesia in geriatric surgery. Possibilities and limitations: (author's transl)]

Modern anesthetic techniques are superior to regional anesthesia for most operative procedures. Yet because of new advances in techniques and methods and sound pathophysiological knowledge, there are some operations for which regional anesthesia has distinct advantages over general anesthesia. This is the case, for example, in geriatric surgery. Here, the technical simplicity and short amount of time required give spinal anesthesia marked advantages over general anesthesia. Post-spinal headaches and slight falls in blood pressure have become rarer due to technical innovations and can reasonably be accepted.