Comparison of the Effect of Thiopental Sodium Supplementation and Hypertonic Saline 5% Alone or their Combination on Intracranial Pressure Changes during Craniotomy Surgeries

During craniotomy surgery, adequate intracranial pressure is a key factor in facilitating tumor removal surgery. So, it is essential to find a therapeutic approach to have proportional cranial pressure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effect of thiopental sodium supplementation and hypertonic saline 5% alone or their combination on intracranial pressure changes and brain relaxation during craniotomy surgeries. This was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial study performed on 67 patients under craniotomy (22 patients in hypertonic saline, 23 in thiopental sodium, and 22 in hypertonic saline and thiopental sodium group). Patients were randomly assigned into three groups and the drugs were prescribed after anesthesia. Vital signs and intracranial pressure were recorded in patients. Chi-square and ANOVA tests were used to compare the data. In the group receiving hypertonic saline plus thiopental sodium, the rate of relaxation was the best with highest score of 3.86 ± 0.35 (P < 0.001), and surgeon satisfactory was more with the highest score of 3.86 ± 0.35) (P = 0.005). Moreover, in this group, the stability of hemodynamic symptoms was also observed (P < 0.050). Considering the high prevalence of cerebrospinal hypertension following craniotomy surgery to remove supratentorial brain tumor, hypertonic saline plus thiopental sodium is recommended to be prescribed for all patients to reduce the complications, improve therapeutic outcomes, and increase the satisfaction of the patient and the surgeon.