Evaluation of the brain cellular damage during liver transplantations.

Background: Neuroinflammation in patients undergoing major surgery can lead to neuronal damage, and neuronal damage can be detected through the measurement of biochemical markers of brain damage. S100 beta (S100 ß), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels are considered good biomarkers to detect brain damage that emerged with neurotoxicity. Aim: To evaluate neuronal damage during liver transplantations. Materials and Methods: After approval of the ethics committee and patient consents, preoperative and postoperative cognitive functions of 33 patients undergoing liver transplantation were measured using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), whereas simultaneous neuronal damage was evaluated through the measurement of S100ß, NSE, and GFAP levels. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative MMSE. There was a statistically significant decrease in postoperative GFAP (P < 0.05) and a statistically significant increase in NSE (P < 0.05) compared to preoperative values. The decrease in S100ß (P > 0.05) level was statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Neuroprotective approaches in anesthesia protocol protect patients from brain damage during liver transplantation and prevent the development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Since the significant increase in NSE levels during liver transplantations was deemed to have been associated with causes other than neuronal damage, NSE should not be evaluated as a marker of brain damage in these operations.

Effects of preoperative gabapentin on postoperative pain after radical retropubic prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of preoperative gabapentin on tramadol consumption using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) and postoperative pain was assessed in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). METHODS: In this prospective, randomized trial, 51 patients undergoing RRP were randomized into two groups: the gabapentin group received 900 mg gabapentin orally 2 h before surgery; the control group did not receive gabapentin. Postoperative analgesia was provided by tramadol PCA. Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale for 24 h, postoperatively. RESULTS: Mean cumulative tramadol consumption at 24 h was comparable in the two groups. Pain scores at 45 min, 60 min and 2 h postoperatively, and the number of patients who required rescue analgesia, were significantly lower in the gabapentin group than in the control group. Side-effects were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative administration of 900 mg gabapentin did not decrease tramadol consumption, but was associated with lower pain scores in the early postoperative phase and a reduced need for rescue analgesia, compared with controls, in patients undergoing RRP.