Table 3. Pre and postoperative serum cytokine response following cataract surgery

Patient groups: general anesthesia with (GA+) and without (GA-) ketamine, and local anesthesia (LA). Serum cytokines: interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), interferon (IFN)-γ, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1). Although the changes are smaller compared to the aqueous levels (Table 1), note the comparative changes in the pre and postoperative levels of the measured serum cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-2. There were no differences between the three patient groups.