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Background and Aims Peripheral nerve block applications are frequently preferred in ankle surgery. It has been shown that the use of dexamethasone as an adjuvant provides longer analgesia and less postoperative analgesic use (1,2). However, there is insufficient evidence regarding lower extremity surgery (1). The aim of our study is to compare the analgesic efficacy of adding dexamethasone as an adjuvant in lower extremity peripheral nerve blocks.

Methods Patients were divided into two groups. Using USG-guided nerve demonstration and a 22 G 100 mm needle, the first group (Group D) received a femoral and popliteal sciatic nerve block using 19 ml of 0.5% Bupivacaine+1 ml of 4 mg dexamethasone solution. The other group (Group B) received a femoral and popliteal sciatic nerve block using 19 ml of 0.5% Bupivacaine+1 ml of 0.9% saline solution. The time to the first analgesic requirement, total analgesic usage in the first 24 hours, and VAS (visual analog scale) values in the first 24 hours were compared.

Results The amount of analgesic used in the first 24 hours was significantly lower in the group that used dexamethasone (table 1). When the dynamic and resting VAS values at 6., 12., and 24. hours were examined, the VAS values were lower in the group that used dexamethasone (table 2).

Conclusions In peripheral nerve blocks applied using dexamethasone, less analgesic use and lower VAS values were observed. Consequently, we believe that the use of dexamethasone as an adjuvant in femoral and popliteal sciatic nerve block applications provides a more effective analgesic effect.