Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T13:59:14.605Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A history of neuraxial administration of local analgesics and opioids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2005

S. Brill
Affiliation:
Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Division of Anesthesiology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
G. M. Gurman
Affiliation:
Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Division of Anesthesiology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
A. Fisher
Affiliation:
Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Division of Anesthesiology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
Get access

Extract

Summary

The history of intrathecal and epidural anaesthesia is in parallel with the development of general anaesthesia. As ether anaesthesia (1846) is considered the first modern anaesthetic since its use by Morton 157 yr ago, so Bier made history by using cocaine for intrathecal anaesthesia in 1898. The first published report on opioids for intrathecal anaesthesia belongs to a Romanian surgeon, Racoviceanu-Pitesti, who presented his experience at Paris in 1901. It was almost a century before the opioids were used for epidural analgesia. Behar and his colleagues published the first report on the epidural use of morphine for the treatment of pain in The Lancet in 1979. Epidural and intrathecal opioids are today part of a routine regimen for intra- and postoperative analgesia. Over the last 30 yr, the use of epidural opioids has became a standard for analgesia in labour and delivery, and for the management of chronic pain. Finally, epidural opioids have been shown to have a pre-emptive effect, when used before major surgery. We present the evolution of neuraxial anaesthesia and the history of intrathecal and epidural administration of opioids.

Type
Review
Copyright
© 2003 European Society of Anaesthesiology

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bonica JJ. History of pain concepts and pain therapy. Sem Anesth 1985; 4: 189208.Google Scholar
Cotugno DFA. De ischiade nervosa commentarius. Naples, Italy: Fratres Simonis, 1764.
Magendie F. Experiences sur les fonctions des racines des nerfs rachidiens. J Physiol Exper Path 1822; 2: 276279.Google Scholar
Rynd F. Neuralgia – introduction of fluid to the nerve. Dublin Med Press 1845; 13: 167168.Google Scholar
Pravaz C-G. Sur un nouveau moyen d'opérer la coagulation du sang dans les artères, applicable à la guérison des aneurismes. Compt Rend Acad Sci (Paris) 1853; 36: 8889.Google Scholar
Wood A. New method of treating neuralgia by the direct application of opiates to the painful points. Edin Med Surg J 1855; 82: 265281.Google Scholar
Becker HK. Carl Koller and cocaine. Psychoanal Quart 1963; 32: 309373.Google Scholar
Koller C. On the use of cocaine for producing anaesthesia on the eye. Lancet 1884; 2: 990993.Google Scholar
Wynter WE. Four cases of tuberculous meningitis in which paracentesis of the theca vertebralis was performed for the relief of fluid pressure. Lancet 1891; 1: 981982.Google Scholar
Quincke H. Die Lumbalpunction des Hydrocephalus. Berlin Klinische Wochenschrift 1891; 28: 929933.Google Scholar
Bier A. Versuche über Cocainisirung des Rückenmarkes. Deutsche Zeitschrift fur Chirurgie. 1899; 51: 361369.Google Scholar
Matas R. Local and regional anesthesia with cocaine and other analgesic drugs, including the subarachnoid method, as applied in general surgical practice. Philadelph Med J 1900; 6: 820843.Google Scholar
Jonnesco T. Quatre cas d'analgésie par injection de cocaine dans le sac lombaire. Bulletin et Memoires de la Société de Chirurgie de Bucharest 1900; II: 118119.Google Scholar
Jonnesco T. La rachianesthésie générale. Paris, France: Masson, 1919.
Barker AE. Clinical experience with spinal analgesia in 100 cases and some reflections on the procedure. BMJ 1907; 1: 665674.Google Scholar
Adriani J, Roman-Vega D. Saddle block anesthesia. Am J Surg 1946; 71: 12.Google Scholar
Corning JL. Spinal anesthesia and local medication of the cord. NY Med J 1885; 42: 483485.Google Scholar
Soresi AL. Episubdural anesthesia. Anesth Analg 1937; 16: 306310.Google Scholar
Curelaru I, Sandu L. Eugen Bogdan Aburel, the pioneer of regional analgesia for pain relief in childbirth. Anaesthesia 1982; 37: 663669.Google Scholar
Lemmon WT. A method for continuous spinal anesthesia. Ann Surg 1940; 111: 141.Google Scholar
Tuohy EB. Continuous spinal anesthesia: its usefulness and technic involved. Anesthesiology 1944; 5: 142148.Google Scholar
Cathelin MF. Une nouvelle voie d'injection rachidienne. Méthode des injections epidurales pas le procédé du canal sacre. Comptes Rendus des L'Société de Biologie. Paris, 1901; 53: 452455.Google Scholar
Pagés F. Anestesia metamerica. Revista de Sanidad de Militar Argentina 1921; 11: 351365.Google Scholar
Dogliotti AM. A new method of block anesthesia. Segmental peridural spinal anesthesia. Am J Surg 1933; 20: 107118.Google Scholar
Gutierrez A. Valor de la aspiración líquida en el espacio peridural en la anestesia peridural. Rev Circ Buenos Aires 1933; 12: 225.Google Scholar
Bromage PR. Epidural Anesthesia. Philadelphia, USA: WB Saunders, 1978.
Kreis O. Ueber Medullarnarkose bei Gebärenden. Zentralblatt fur Gynakologie 1900; 24: 724729.Google Scholar
Hopkins GS. Anesthesia by cocainization of the spinal cord. Philadelph Med J 1900; 6: 864.Google Scholar
Cristea I. Un secol de anestezie spinala in Romania. Bucharest, Romania: Editura Sylvia, 1999.
Aburel E. L'anesthésie locale continue (prolongée) en obstétrique. Bull Soc Obstet Gynecol 1931; 20: 3537.Google Scholar
Manalan SA. Caudal block anesthesia in obstetrics. J Indiana State Med Assoc 1942 35: 564565.Google Scholar
Edwards WB, Hingson RA. Continuous caudal anesthesia in obstetrics. Am J Surg 1942; 57: 459467.Google Scholar
Boccaccio G. The Decameron. Fourth Day. London, UK: Penguin Classics, 1998.
Rey R. A History of Pain. Paris, France: Editure La Découverte, 1993.
Serturner FWA. J Pharmazeutischen und Apoth Chemie. 1806; 14: 17.
Racoviceanu-Pitesti N. Anesthesia generala prin cocaina. Revista de Chirurgie 1900; IV: 1122.Google Scholar
Tuffier T. Analgésie chirurgicale par l'injection sous-arachnoidienne lombaire de cocaine. Comptes Rendus des Sociétés de Biologie 11th Series, 1899; 1: 882.Google Scholar
Matsuki A, Nothing new under the sun – a Japanese pioneer in the clinical use of intrathecal morphine. Anesthesiology 1983; 58: 289290.Google Scholar
Goldstein A, Lowney LI, Pal PK. Stereospecific and nonspecific interactions of the morphine congener levorphanol in subcellular fractions of mouse brain. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 1971; 68: 17421747.Google Scholar
Pert C, Snyder S. Opiate receptor: demonstration in nerve tissue. Science 1973; 179: 10111014.Google Scholar
Yaksh TL, Rudy TA. Analgesia mediated by a direct spinal action of narcotics. Science 1976; 192: 13571358.Google Scholar
Yaksh TL. In vivo studies on spinal opiate receptor systems mediating antinoception. Mu and delta receptor in the primate. J Pharm Exper Therap 1983; 226: 303312.Google Scholar
LaMotte C, Pert CB, Snyder SH. Opiate receptor binding in primate spinal cord: distribution and changes after dorsal root section. Brain Res 1976; 112: 407412.Google Scholar
LaMotte RH, Campbell JN. Comparison of responses of warm and nociceptive C-fiber afferents in monkey with human judgments of thermal pain. J Neurophysiol 1978; 41: 509528.Google Scholar
Eisleb VO, Schaumann O. Dolantin, ein neuartiges spasmolytikum und analgetykum (chemisches und pharmacologisches). Deutsche Med Wochenschrift 1939; 65: 967968.Google Scholar
Mircea N, Constantinescu D, Jianu C, et al. Anesthésie sous-arachnoidienne par la péthidine. Ann Françaises Anesth Reanim 1982; 1: 167171.Google Scholar
Cousins MJ, Mather LE, Gourlay GK. Axon, spinal cord and Brain: targets for acute pain control. In: Scott DB, McClure J, Wildsmith JA, eds. Regional Anaesthesia 1884–1984. Denmark: J. H. Schultz, 1984.
Pasqualucci V, Moricca G, Solinas P. Intrathecal morphine for the control of the pain of myocardial infarction. Anaesthesia 1981; 36: 6869.Google Scholar
Behar M, Magora F, Olshwang D, Davidson JT. Epidural morphine in treatment of pain. Lancet 1979; 1: 527529.Google Scholar
Wang JK, Nauss LE, Thomas JE. Pain relief by intrathecally applied morphine in man. Anesthesiology 1979; 50: 149151.Google Scholar
Cousins MJ, Mather E. Intrathecal and epidural administration of opioids. Anesthesiology 1984; 61: 276310.Google Scholar
Bromage PR, Camporesi EM, Durant PAC, Nielsen CH. Rostral spread of epidural morphine. Anesthesiology 1982; 56: 431436.Google Scholar
Scott PV, Bowen FE, Cartwright P, et al. Intrathecal morphine as sole analgesic during labour. BMJ 1980; 2: 351355.Google Scholar
Sjostrom S, Hartvig D, Tamsen A. Patient-controlled analgesia with extradural morphine or pethidine. Brit J Anaesth 1988; 60: 358366.Google Scholar
Reiz S, Ahlin J, Ahrenfeldt B, Andersson M, Andersson S. Epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief. Acta Anaesth Scand 1981; 25: 111114.Google Scholar
Hjortso E, Vester-Andersen T, Moller IW, Lunding M. Epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief. Acta Anaesth Scand 1982; 26: 528530.Google Scholar
Gray HT, Parsons L. Blood pressure variations associated with lumbar puncture and the induction of spinal anesthesia. Q J Med 1912; 5: 339.Google Scholar
Labat G. Circulatory disturbances associated with subarachnoid nerve block. Long Island Med J 1927; 21: 573.Google Scholar
Butterworth JF, Piccione Jr W, Berrizbeitia LD, Dance G, Shenim RJ, Cohn LH. Augmentation of venous return by adrenergic agonists during spinal anesthesia. Anesth Analg 1986; 65: 612616.Google Scholar
Liolios A, Andersen FH. Selective spinal analgesia. Lancet 1979; 2: 357.Google Scholar
Glynn CJ, Mather LE, Cousins MJ, Wilson PR, Graham JR. Spinal narcotics and respiratory depression. Lancet 1979; 2: 356357.Google Scholar
Davies GK, Tolhurst-Cleaver CL, James TL. CNS depression from intrathecal morphine. Anesthesiology 1980; 52: 280.Google Scholar
Reiz S, Westberg M. Side effects of epidural morphine. Lancet 1980; 2: 203204.Google Scholar
Gustafsson LL, Schildt B, Jacobsen K. Adverse effects of extradural and intrathecal opiates: report of a nationwide survey in Sweden. Brit J Anaesth 1982; 54: 479485.Google Scholar
Morgan M. Intrathecal and epidural opiates: an assessment. Anaesthesia 1982; 37: 365366.Google Scholar
Morgan M. The rational use of intrathecal and extradural opioids. Brit J Anaesth 1989; 63: 165188.Google Scholar
Myint Y, Bailey PW, Milne BR. Cardiorespiratory arrest following combined spinal epidural anaesthesia for caesarean section. Anaesthesia 1993; 48: 684686.Google Scholar
Ballantyne JC, Loach AB, Carr DB. Itching after epidural and spinal opiates. Pain 1988; 33: 149160.Google Scholar
Moreno LA, Sinche M, Balust J, et al. Total spinal block (TSB) treated by means of cerebrospinal fluid rechange (CSFR). Int Mon Reg Anesth 1993; 68: 7881.Google Scholar
Kaiser KG, Bainton CR. Treatment of intrathecal morphine overdose by aspiration of cerebrospinal fluid. Anesth Analg 1987; 66: 475477.Google Scholar