Objective To choose the optimal formulation of lidocaine microemulsion,prepare lidocaine microemulsion and examine its physical and chemical properties.Methods The composition of lidocaine microemulsion was determined by pseudo-ternary phase diagrams.The particle size and stability of lidocaine microemulsion were also investigated.The drug loading was determined by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).Results The formulation of lidocaine microemulsion encompassed ethyl oleate/mixed surfactant/distilled water(1∶9∶20).The mixed surfactant consisted of polysorbate 80 and polyethylene glycol 400.The microemulsion appeared spherical,clarified,and pale yellow,with good liquidity.The average particle size was 19.70 nm.The lidocaine microemulsion was an oil-in-water type.By HPLC,the detection limit was 0.03 μg·mL-1 and the quantitation limit was 0.1 μg·mL-1.The linear range was from 60 to 160 μg·mL-1(r = 0.999 2).The drug-loading range of lidocaine microemulsion prepared by different methods was between 3.47%and 7.38%.Conclusion Lidocaine microemulsion conformed to the characteristics of microemulsion and the preparation process was stable and reliable.The maximum drug loading of lidocaine microemulsion reached 7.38%,which improved the solubility of lidocaine.This research layed a good foundation for the further clinical application of lidocaine microemulsion.