Topical Anesthesia for Endoscopy; Evaluation of Prilocaine (Citanest), a New Local Anesthetic

¹ Department of Surgery, St. John's Hospital and Burge Protestant Hospital, Springfield, Missouri
² Department of Surgery, Missouri State Sanatorium, Mt. Vernon, Missouri

A clinical study was carried out to evaluate the topical anesthetic effectiveness of a new local anesthetic, prilocaine (Citanest). A double blind comparison of 2 and 3 per cent prilocaine and 2 per cent lidocaine (Xylocaine) was carried out and no statistically significant difference between these agents was observed with regard to topical anesthesia. Lidocaine did have a statistically greater effect on abolishing the cough reflex when compared to 2 per cent prilocaine, but not as compared to 3 per cent prilocaine. A more careful comparison of 2 and 3 per cent prilocaine alone indicates that one can increase the duration of topical anestheia by increasing the concentration of this agent. However, for practical purpose, 2 per cent prilocaine appears to be adequate for most endoscopy procedures and in this study 2 per cent prilocaine was as effective as 2 per cent lidocaine as a topical anesthetic for endoscopy.