Spinal anaesthesia is advantageous as compare to general anaesthesia for cesarean section especially in preeclampsia as it avoids the complications of general anaesthesia. To improve the quality of sensory and motor blockade and prolong the duration of postoperative analgesia, we had used tramadol and magnesium sulfate intrathecally with the primary aim to assess sensory and motor blockade and postoperative analgesia. Material and Methods: This prospective randomized control study included sixty preeclamptic parturient having more than 36 weeks of pregnancy with controlled hypertension aged 18-40 years with single pregnancy, planned for caesarean section of ASAPS II, III and able to understand VAS score were included. Parturients were randomly assigned to g roup LT (injection Levobupivacaine 0.5%, 1.5ml + injection Tramadol 25 mg,0.5ml) and group LM (injection Levobupivacaine 0.5%, 1.5ml + injection Magnesium sulfate 100 mg,0.5ml) using computer generated random numbers and the assignment was sealed in envelopes for concealment. They were assessed for sensory blockade, motor blockade and postoperative analgesia. Results: The onset of sensory block was late in group LM [102sec (102-105) sec] in comparison to group LT [69sec (66-72) sec, P<0.0001]. The time to attain peak sensory level was late in group LM [2min (1.9-2) min] in comparison to group LT [1.6min (1.5-1.6) min, P<0.0001]. The motor block onset was delayed in group LM [93.5sec (92-95) sec] compared to group LT [60sec (58-63) sec, P<0.0001]. The duration of post-operative analgesia was extended further for group LM [570min (540-600) min], in comparison to group LT [357min (342-360) min, P<0.0001].
Conclusion:Intrathecal magnesium sulfate can be considered as a desirable adjuvant to Levobupivacaine in mild preeclamptic parturients undergoing cesarean section compared to tramadol.