Experience with caudal block regional anesthesia for transurethral resection of the prostate gland

Ninety five consecutive patients with obstructing prostatic enlargement requiring surgery underwent caudal anesthesia for transurethral resection of the prostate gland (TURP). Their mean age was 73+/-7.8 years, the mean preoperative volume of the prostate gland was 160cc and the mean resection time was 97.3+/-30 minutes. The anesthesia was satisfactory with a mean pain score of 0.3+/-0.6 on the 0-10 pain rating scale. No complication of the anesthetic procedure occurred. Ten patients were discharged free of catheter on the same day while all the remaining 85 patients were discharged within 48 hours of surgery. It is concluded that caudal anesthesia with 2% xylocaine with 1 in 80,000 adrenaline gives adequate anesthesia for transurethral resection of the prostate gland.