Background: The purpose of the study was to evaluate perioperative changes in protein C antigen (PC Ag) in patients undergoing retinal detachment surgery under general or local anesthesia. Material and methods: Prospective study of 39 patients: 27 patients, 14 male, 13 female, age from 15 to 78 (mean: 50.8, SD=18.6), undergoing retinal detachment surgery (encirclement with scleral buckling) performed under general anesthesia (group A), and 12 patients, 5 male, 7 female, age from 25 to 78 (mean: 52.9, SD=19.2), operated under local anesthesia (group B). Patients with venous or arterial disease or other factors which could affect the evaluated parameters were excluded from the study. Blood samples were collected from the cubital vein one day before surgery, immediately after induction of anesthesia but before surgery, immediately after the completion of the operation but before the termination of anesthesia, and after surgery (on the 1st and 4th day). The PC Ag concentration was measured in the citrate plasma of the patients studied, utilizing a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: In both groups, the pattern of changes in perioperative PC antigen was similar. A trend towards moderately lower intraoperative levels of PC Ag could be observed. In both groups, PC Ag concentration increased on the first postoperative day, but a significant change was noted only in general anesthesia group.
Conclusion: Retinal detachment surgery evokes a less than statistically significant decrease in intraoperative PC antigen levels in systemic circulation, and these changes are not affected by the type of anesthesia. An increase in PC Ag was observed on the 1st postoperative day, but this was statistically significant only in the general anesthesia group

Keywords: retinal detachment surgery, protein C antigen