Purpose: To compare pain on injection and the efficacy of anesthesia of three modified lidocaine solutions for use in eyelid surgery: 1) 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine, 2) 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine buffered 9:1 with 8.4% sodium bicarbonate, and 3) 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine diluted 1:9 with 0.9% bacteriostatic saline solution (with benzyl alcohol).
Methods: In this prospective, randomized, double-masked, controlled clinical trial, 30 consecutive patients undergoing bilateral identical eyelid surgery were randomized to one of three treatment groups. Group 1 received buffered solution on one side and stock solution on the other, group 2 received bacteriostatic saline diluted solution on one side and stock solution on the other, and group 3 received buffered solution on one side and bacteriostatic saline diluted solution on the other. Patients used a 5-point scale to rate the perceived pain on injection and the pain felt during the operative procedure.
Results: Comparison of mean injection pain scores showed that buffered solution was significantly less painful than unmodified solution (2.2 versus 3.1, p < 0.05), bacteriostatic saline modified solution was significantly less painful than unmodified solution (0.9 versus 3.3, p < 0.05), bacteriostatic saline modified solution was significantly less painful than buffered solution (1.2 versus 2.3, p < 0.05). Comparison of mean intraoperative pain scores demonstrated no significant difference between the solutions in any of the treatment groups.
Conclusions: For local anesthesia in eyelid surgery, bacteriostatic saline modified solution provides more comfort on injection than either buffered or unmodified lidocaine-epinephrine solution and provides an adequate level of anesthesia that does not differ significantly from either the buffered or unmodified solutions.