Fig. 2. Comparison of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score in patients of the intravenous anesthesia group and the inhalation anesthesia group. Errors refer SD. *P < 0.01, versus  before surgery; #P < 0.01, versus  the intravenous anesthesia group. The results show that MMSE examination scores were significantly decreased day 1, 2, and 3 after surgery in the inhalation anesthesia group, compared with the intravenous anesthesia group and before surgery. Decreased MMSE scores indicated deficits in cognitive function. The proportion of patients scoring less than 25 points was significantly greater in the inhalation anesthesia group, compared with the intravenous anesthesia group 3 days after surgery.