ABSTRACT
Oral retinoids, especially isotretinoin and acitretin, are used to treat acne and other dermatologic conditions. Impairment of the inflammatory response, tensile strength, and collagen accumulation in cutaneous wounds following corticosteroid treatment are partially, but significantly, reversed by retinoids. Presence of surgical adverse effects was investigated in patients with or without a history of retinoid use in the perioperative period. Avoidance of use of systemic isotretinoin therapy in the perioperative period was accepted as a medical-legal standard in the 1980s following reports of cases of possible retinoid-related surgical complications. Studies on the interference of isotretinoin in hepatic drug metabolism, kidney damage, and arrhythmias can be combined to give an idea of how isotretinoin may influence anesthesia. Risk of altered liver, renal, or cardiac function and risk of disturbances in the metabolism and excretion of drugs used during anesthesia are possibly not significant in patients who are on systemic isotretinoin therapy.
