British journal of anaesthesia
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We describe a patient who developed an immobilizing lumbovertebral syndrome after an extradural blood patch and who was hospitalized with a suspected extradural abscess. An infectious aetiology of the persistent backache could be excluded and the patient recovered with analgesics and physiotherapy. The probable aetiology is discussed.
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Case Reports
Accidental subdural catheterization: radiological evidence of a possible mechanism for spinal cord damage.
We describe the inadvertent subdural insertion of a lumbar extradural catheter in a primiparous woman in labour. A small quantity of local anaesthetic resulted in extensive motor and sensory block. ⋯ We postulate that this could result in arterial compression or direct damage to the spinal nerve roots. Such a mechanism might explain some of the cases of permanent neurological damage associated with extradural analgesia.