Ketamine and Midazolam Neurotoxicity in the Rabbit
Anesthesiology July 1, 1991 Jean-Marc Malinovsky, A. Cozian, Jean-Yves Lepage et al. 244 citations
Intrathecal midazolam caused significant neurotoxicity in rabbits, as shown by both blood-brain barrier and light microscopy studies, and should be avoided in humans. Ketamine showed evidence of neurotoxicity in the blood-brain barrier study, though light microscopy found no significant differences compared to saline and lidocaine. Further studies of the solvent and different ketamine enantiomers are needed to establish the safety of intrathecal free ketamine in humans. Lidocaine and saline did not produce abnormal spinal cord lesions.