Which is Better? 10% Xylocaine Packing vs. 2% Lidocaine Local Injection for Myringotomy: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a less invasive method of administering local anesthesia (10% lidocaine packing) against the lidocaine local injection for pain control in myringotomy procedures. Materials and Methods: The present study was a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Two local anesthetic procedures were randomly assigned to patients aged over 18 years who required a myringotomy. The patients were given either a 10% lidocaine-soaked cotton packing or a 2% lidocaine local injection. Pain scores during the anesthetic procedures, during the myringotomy procedure, and immediately following the myringotomy procedure were evaluated and compared between both groups. Results: There were 20 patients who participated in this study, with 10 patients in each treatment arm. Baseline characteristics of patients in both groups were comparable. The 10% lidocaine packing group had significantly lowered pain score during the anesthetic procedure than did the 2% lidocaine group (0 vs. 7; p-value <0.001). There was no statistical difference in the other two pain scores between the two groups. Conclusion: The 10% lidocaine packing method is a better method than the 2% lidocaine injection for anesthesia during myringotomy in terms of causing less pain during the anesthetic procedure. Keywords: Anesthesia, Lidocaine, Local, Myringotomy, Topical