CC BY 4.0 · Indian Journal of Neurosurgery
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1785527
Research Article

To Study Perioperative Changes in Plasma Phenytoin Levels in Patients with Brain Tumor Undergoing Craniotomy and Its Correlation with Postoperative Seizures

Manjulata Kumawat
1   Department of Biochemistry, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
,
Amanpreet Singh
2   Department Anaesthesiology, MAMC, Agroha, Haryana, India
,
Prashant Kumar
3   Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
,
Sanjay Johar
3   Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
,
4   Department of Neurosurgery, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
› Institutsangaben

Abstract

Introduction Phenytoin, although commonly used for postoperative seizure prophylaxis, exhibits variable results in mitigating seizure frequency following craniotomy. These discrepancies may be linked to a reduction in plasma phenytoin levels subsequent to the surgical intervention.

Aims This prospective study aims to characterize changes in plasma phenytoin levels after craniotomy and their relationship with intraoperative blood loss.

Methods Fifty consecutive patients were enrolled in this study after obtaining written informed consent. These patients had either been on oral phenytoin for at least 7 days or had received an intravenous loading dose before undergoing craniotomy. Serum phenytoin levels were measured 24 hours preoperatively, immediately before craniotomy (prior to skin incision), postcraniotomy (after skin closure), and 24 hours postcraniotomy. Additionally, intraoperative blood loss was calculated using a modified Gross formula.

Results Immediately following craniotomy, there was a statistically significant mean decline of 28.16% in serum phenytoin levels. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a robust positive correlation between the decrease in phenytoin concentration level and several factors, including blood loss during surgery, the duration of the surgical procedure, intravenous fluids administered during surgery, and the occurrence of postoperative seizures.

Conclusion This study underscores the potential utility of routinely measuring perioperative serum phenytoin levels in high-risk patients to prevent postcraniotomy seizures. Moreover, it suggests that patients with substantial intraoperative blood loss may benefit from an additional bolus dose of phenytoin toward the end of the surgical procedure.



Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
03. Mai 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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