• Yangning Zhou, Miao He, Tianxiao Zou, and Bin Yu.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji UniversityShanghai, China; Department of Anesthesiology, Rui Jin North Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong UniversityChina.
• Int J Clin Exp Patho. 2015 Jan 1; 8 (11): 13911-20.

ObjectiveTo investigate the morphological changes in various tissues of rabbits receiving sciatic nerve block with 0.2% ropivacaine for 48 h.MethodsTwenty healthy were randomly assigned to normal saline group (N group) and ropivacaine group (R group). The right sciatic nerve was exposed, and a nerve-blocking trocar cannula embedded. Animals received an injection of 0.5% ropivacaine hydrochloride at a dose of 0.75 ml/kg. Rabbit was then connected to an infusion pump containing 50 ml of normal saline in N group, or to a infusion pump containing 0.2% ropivacaine hydrochloride in R group at 0.25 ml/kg•h-1.ResultsIn both R group and N group, a small number of nerve cells exhibited pyknotic degeneration. More nerve cells with pyknotic degeneration were found in R group than in N group (P<0.001). At 48 h after surgery, there was a significant correlation between the abnormality of right hind limb and the degree of edema in sciatic nerve (P<0.01).ConclusionPyknotic degeneration of sciatic nerve increased after an infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine hydrochloride for 48 h, suggesting the neurotoxicity of ropivacaine. An infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine hydrochloride for 48 h may cause necrosis of skeletal muscle cells. The sciatic nerve edema would greatly affect the hindlimb motor while both pyknotic degeneration of sciatic nerve and skeletal muscle have little influence on the hindlimb movement. After an infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine hydrochloride for 48 h, the morphology of right atrium and brain tissues around the ventriculus tertius and medulla oblongata remained unchanged.

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