Epidural anaesthesia for transurethral resection of the prostate in a patient with carcinoid syndrome.

The anaesthetic management of a 63-year-old patient with carcinoid syndrome presenting for transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is described. Before surgery antibradykinin, antiserotonin and antihistamine drugs were used in addition to SMS 201-995, a long-acting somatostatin analogue, to prevent the intraoperative release of hormones associated with this syndrome. Several techniques of general anaesthesia have achieved successful patient outcomes. Monitoring included pulse oximetry and radial artery cannulation. After infusion of Ringer's lactate, 750 ml, and 25 per cent albumin, 150 ml, an incremental epidural block with xylocaine two per cent without adrenaline was administered to achieve ideal operating conditions without any change in haemodynamic variables or oxygen haemoglobin saturation. Epidural anaesthesia seems to be a safe alternative to general anaesthesia in patients with carcinoid syndrome presenting for TURP.