Comparative Study of Intrathecal Dexamethasone with Epinephrine as Adjuvants to Lidocaine in Cesarean Section

Background: different additives have been used with local anesthetics to provide prolonged duration of sensory block in spinal anesthesia. the aim of present study was to evaluate the onset and duration of sensory block of intrathecal dexamethasone and epinephrine as adjuvants to lidocaine in patients who were candidate for cesarean section. materials and methods: this double-blind clinical trial research was conducted on 90 pregnant women candidate for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. patients were randomly allocated to receive intrathecally either 75 mg hyperbaric lidocaine plus 100 ?g epinephrine or 75 mg hyperbaric lidocaine plus 4 mg dexamethasone or 75 mg hyperbaric lidocaine. the onset and duration of sensory block as well as postoperative analgesia were assessed. results: the time to reach the peak sensory block in lidocaine group was shorter than that of other two groups (p < 0.001). duration of sensory block in the control group, dexamethasone group, and epinephrine group were 64.16±7.99 min, 74.79±12.78 min, and 99.30±10.93 min, respectively (p < 0.001). conclusion: the present research shows that intrathecal dexamethasone and intrathecal epinephrine as adjuvant to lidocaine increases sensory block duration in the women candidate for cesarean section.