The effect of total intravenous anesthesia on the postoperative cognitive functions of young and elderly patients after lumbar disk surgery

The negative effects of surgery and anesthesia on cognitive functions and their relationships with many factors are well known. In the present study we aimed to investigate the effect of the total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) method on the postoperative cognitive functions between young and elderly patients scheduled to undergo lumbar disk surgery. The TIVA method was applied to 40 patients less than 65 years old (young, Group Y) and ≥65 years old (old, Group O), whose Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) results and serum S-100 beta protein levels were compared preoperatively and postoperatively at the 24th hour. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction was not observed in any of the groups in the early stage. MMSE results and mean S-100 beta protein levels determined before and after the operation did not have statistically significant differences between the groups over time. In the present study, the TIVA method did not affect postoperative early cognitive functions in either old or young patients who underwent lumbar disk surgery.