-Abstract-
Caudal narcotic analgesia was assesses after the injection of 3㎎ morphine diluted in
30 ㎖ (physiologic) saline into the sacral canal in 15 Patients after upper abdominal
surgery, in 20 patients after lower abdominal surgery under general anesthesia, and in
20 patients after perianal surgery under caudal block.
Pain relief was evaluated by the subsequent need for systemic analgesics.
All eases had considerable relief from pain an4 the morphine was effective for 12 or
more hours. There were no significant differances between pain relief of the upper
abdominal and lower abdominal surgery group, upper abdominal and perianal surgery
group, and lower abdominal and perianal surgery group (p>0.05, p>0.05, p>0.05) .
It is suggested that the morphine, which was administered into the sacral, cannal,
reached the subarachnoid space and produced it's effect by direct action on the specific
opiate receptors in the substantia gelatinosa of th.8 posterior horn cell of the spinal cord.
Consequently, whether analgesia from epidural narcotics appears to be segmental in
distribution or not is still in controversy.
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