No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Urinary retention is a common post-operative complication that has been associated with opioid therapy. In this study, we investigated whether an intraoperative remifentanil infusion increased postoperative urinary retention in patients undergoing general anesthesia. METHODS: Sixty-two healthy patients having elective minor surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, double-blind study. Anesthesia was maintained with either sevoflurane (S group, n = 31) alone or with sevoflurane combined with a remifentanil infusion (0.1-0.2microgram/kg/min) (RS group, n = 31). Bladder urine volume and voiding difficulty were evaluated at 2 and 6 hours after the operation. RESULTS: The incidence of urinary retention was 13% in the S group and 6% in the RS group at 2 hours after operation, which was not a significant difference. The total incidence of urinary retention was 13% in both groups at 6 hours after operation. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative remifentanil infusion did not increase the postoperative urinary retention.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Double-Blind Method ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methyl Ethers ; Piperidines ; Prospective Studies ; Surgical Procedures, Minor ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Retention