Abstract:Objective To observe the influence of Ulinastatin on postoperative cognitive dysfunction(POCD) in the elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer. Methods Sixty elderly patients scheduled for laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer were randomly allocated to control group and observation group with 30 in each. The patients in the observation group received sustained intravenous injection of 100,000 U/h Ulinastatin after injection of 200,000 U before anesthesia induction. Those in the control group received the same dosages of normal saline. The plasma concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α and S100β were determined 1 day before operation (T0), at the end of operation (T1), 1 day (T2) and 3 day (T3) after operation. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction was assessed by Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) at T0, T2 and T3. Results The levels of IL-6,TNF-α and S100β were the highest at T1 in both groups (P < 0.05). In the control group, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α at T2 were higher than those at T0 and T3 (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-6, TNF-α and S100β were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group at T1 (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were lower and MMSE scores were higher in the observation group at T2 (P < 0.05). In addition, MMSE scores at T2 were lower than those at T0 and T3 in the control group (P < 0.05). Finally, the incidence of POCD was lower in the observation group (P < 0.05). Conclusions Ulinastatin can decrease the plasma concentrations of IL-6,TNF-α and S100β and reduce the risk of POCD in the elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.