The value of pancuronium in prolonged intraocular operations.

We wished to determine the effectiveness of Pancuronium, a non-depolarizing muscle relaxant, in prolonged intraocular operations. We compared the variations in intraocular pressure when using four different methods of induction of general anesthesia. With Pancuronium the intraocular pressure fell initially and then rose to just below pre-induction levels and remained there. Our study suggests that pancuronium stabilizes intraocular pressure at a level which is highly desirable for intraocular surgery.