BACKGROUND: Controlled induced hypotension guarantees less blood loss and better visibility of the surgical site. The impact of hypotension on post-operative cognitive functions is still being discussed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of controlled induced hypotension on the cognitive functions of patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We allocated 47 patients with a good grade of preoperative cognitive functions evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination to 3 groups (1 – mild hypotension, 2 – intermediate hypotension, 3 – severe hypotension) according to the degree of mean intraoperative arterial pressure compared with preoperative blood pressure. Cognitive functions were evaluated preoperatively, 6 h, and 30 h postoperatively with standardized tests: the Stroop Test, Trail Making Test (TMT), and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT). A decrease in the test results and increase in the number of mistakes made were considered an impairment of cognitive functions.

RESULTS: A total of 47 patients (group 1 – mild hypotension – 15, group 2 – intermediate hypotension – 19, group 3 – severe hypotension – 13) were included in the study. A significant decrease was observed in all the 3 groups after Stroop A test 6h postoperatively but it improved 30h postoperatively, without differences between the groups. Neither a significant decrease in the test results nor an increase in the number of mistakes was noted for Stroop B tests, TMT A&B tests and VFT.

CONCLUSIONS: The degree of controlled intraoperative hypotension during FESS did not influence the results of psychometric tests.

Keywords: Demography, Cognition, Hypotension, Controlled, Neuropsychological Tests, Paranasal Sinuses - surgery