Comparison of Intra-articular Dexmedetomidine and Magnesium in Postoperative Pain
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Postoperative Pain, Intra-articular Injection, Dexmedetomidine, Magnesium Sulfate
Sponsor: Derince Training and Research Hospital

Comparison of Intra-articular Dexmedetomidine and Magnesium in Postoperative Pain 
Hande Gurbuz Aytuluk, MD1, Alper Gultekin, MD2, K. Tolga Saracoglu, Assoc Prof1 
 
1: University of Health Sciences, Kocaeli Derince Training and Research Hospital, Department 
of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, 41900 Derince, Kocaeli, Turkey 
2: University of Health Sciences, Kocaeli Derince Training and Research Hospital, Department 
of Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of Health Sciences, Kocaeli Derince Training 
and Research Hospital, 41900 Derince, Kocaeli, Turkey 
 
Trial registration: NCT03479216  
Date of the document:  
Initial Release: March 21, 2018  
Study Start (Actual): March 26, 2018 
Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2018 
Last Update: October 12, 2018 
 
 
 
 
 

Objectives: Arthroscopic meniscus surgeries are the most frequent day-case orthopedic 
procedures. However, these surgeries can lead to pain at various levels. This study’s objective 
is to compare the efficacy of magnesium sulfate and dexmedetomidine in combination with 
local anesthetics to be given intraarticularly for postoperative pain management in patients 
undergoing arthroscopic meniscectomy under spinal anesthesia.  
 
Design and Subjects: Fifty-two patients aged between 18 and 65 years with American Society 
of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II who were scheduled for elective arthroscopic 
meniscectomy (right or left) under spinal anesthesia were included in this prospective, 
randomized, double-blind study.  
Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to group D (bupivacaine + dexmedetomidine) or 
group M (bupivacaine + magnesium sulphate). Following skin closure at the end of the 
procedure, 10 minutes before the tourniquet release, 10 mL of study solution was injected 
intraarticularly. Perioperative data, postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at the 2nd, 
4th, 6th, 8th, 12th, and 18th hours, and total analgesic consumption were recorded.  
 
Statistical Analysis: For continuous variables, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for the 
normality of data distribution and followed by the Mann-Whitney U test when a significant 
difference was found (p<0.05). For intergroup comparisons of categorical data, Pearson’s Chi-
square test or Fisher’s exact test was applied. Wilcoxon’s signed-ranks test was used for 
intragroup comparisons of VAS scores. All data are presented as means (SD), median (min 
max) or numbers as appropriate. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. 
 
 
 

Ethical Consideration: This study protocol was approved by the research ethics committee of 
Kocaeli University (Institutional Review Board, KIA 2018/92, Approval Date: February 20th, 
2018), written informed consent was obtained from all subjects participating in the trial and all 
procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee 
on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical 
Association.