OBJECTIVES: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) plays an important role in the diagnosis of pancreatobiliary diseases. However, an appropriate sedation method for EUS has not been established. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the safety and complications of sedation with pentazocine or pethidine hydrochloride for outpatient diagnostic EUS. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1302 consecutive cases in our department that underwent outpatient diagnostic EUS between April 2019 and September 2021. Until June 2020, EUS was performed under sedation with midazolam and pentazocine (pentazocine group) in principle
after June 2020, sedation with midazolam and pethidine hydrochloride (pethidine hydrochloride group) was used. A cohort of patients with comparable backgrounds was identified using propensity score matching. RESULTS: A total of 486 cases were included in this study. Sedation-related adverse events during the endoscopic procedures were not significantly different between the groups. The median time spent in the recovery room after EUS was significantly shorter in the pethidine hydrochloride group than in the pentazocine group (69 versus vs. 77 min
CONCLUSIONS: The combination of midazolam and pethidine hydrochloride is a more favorable anesthetic than the combination of midazolam and pentazocine for diagnostic EUS in outpatients.