Comparison of Psychologic and Cognitive Functions After General or Regional Anesthesia

The behavior of 105 patients randomly assigned to receive either general or regional anesthesia and who underwent one of three types of surgery (hysterectomy, prostatectomy, or joint replacement) was assessed before, immediately after, and 3 mo after surgery. Psychologic status was assessed by the Sickness Impact Profile, the SCL-90-R, and a Metamemory Questionnaire. Cognitive functioning was measured by a battery of ten psychomotor, memory, and skilled performance tasks. Physical health was scored by the ASA classification of physical status, a health index, postoperative complications ratings, and a self-rated measure of the patient's health. There were cognitive differences across surgery groups due to age and gender variability among the patients; however, the type of anesthesia produced no difference in behavior. Both the physical and mental health indices showed improvement from the preoperative to the postoperative periods. General anesthesia appears to pose no risk to mental function and recovery beyond that associated with regional anesthesia and surgery.