Objective: To determine the dermatomal level of sensory block after spinal anesthesia traditionally used method is pinprick test. Pinprick test is an invasive and painful method. We aimed to compare the dermatomal levels of sensory block determined by noninvasive simple tests touch and cold sense loss with routinely used invasive pinprick stimulation test in clinical practice.

Materials and Methods: Adult 32 male patients (ASA I-II, aged 45±8 year) undergoing lower abdominal or lower limb surgery were enrolled in this prospective, randomized study. Spinal anesthesia was performed with the patients placed in the sitting position by injecting 1 mg kg^-1 2% lidocaine intrathecally through a 22 gauge needle inserted at the L3-4 interspace. The levels of block were assessed at 5^th and 20^th min after the spinal injection. Needle for pinprick, a piece of cotton for touch and ice in a finger of surgical glove for cold sensory were used.

Results: No significant difference was observed between the dermatomal level of loss of pinprick sense and the dermatomal level of loss of either touch sense or cold sense at 5^th min. However at 20^th min the dermatomal level of loss of touch sense was significantly lower than the dermatomal level of loss of pinprick and cold sensations (p<0.05).

Conclusion: It may be beneficial to use the non-invasive method touch stimulation instead of pinprick test for the assessment of block level at spinal anesthesia. ©2007, Fırat Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi

To determine the dermatomal level of sensory block after spinal and epidural anesthesia traditionally pinprick, touch and cold discrimination used ¹. The testing of pinprick sensation may cause unpleasure results as pain and infection. Patient pleasure is being more popular in the course of time. Many patients have complaint about the discomfort of this method. For the assessment of block level at spinal anesthesia many other methods (skin vasomotor reflex, pressure palpator, pricking pain roller and gas jet method) have been described ^2-6.

We aimed to compare the dermatomal levels of sensory block determined by noninvasive simple tests touch and cold sense loss with routinely used invasive pinprick stimulation test in clinical practice.

After Institutional Ethics Committee approval, written informed consent was obtained from all considered patients. Adult 32 male patients (ASA I-II, aged 45±8 year) undergoing