[Prospective study on anesthesia for lumbar spine surgery--the effectiveness of the perioperative epidural anesthesia with buprenorphine].

We prospectively evaluated the efficacy of perioperative epidural buprenorphine for lumbar spinal surgery under general anesthesia. Twenty-eight patients were allocated into two groups; in one group (buprenorphine group), patients underwent the surgery under general anesthesia with perioperative epidural buprenorphine 0.2 mg, in the other group (control group), patients underwent the surgery under general anesthesia only. The epidural injection was within 2 levels of the cephalad segment of the operating site. In both groups, fentanyl and flurbiprofen were intravenously injected intermittently in the same manner. In buprenorphine group, requirement of analgesics was less during and after surgery compared with the control group. Neurological evaluation immediately after surgery revealed no neurological side effects in both groups. We conclude that general anesthesia with perioperative epidural buprenorphine for lumbar spinal surgery is safe and useful.