MAJOR NEUROLOGICAL SEQUELAE OF LUMBAR EPIDURAL-ANESTHESIA - REPORT OF3 CASES

We here report the major permanent neurological complications that dev eloped in three patients after epidural anesthesia. MR clearly showed that paraplegia, which arose one and nine days after anesthesia, was d ue to epi-subdural haematoma in the first case and epidural abscess in the second. The sudden left lower limb palsy in the third patient was caused by a paracentral ischemic lesion all along the conus-epiconus following a probable trauma of the cord during the insertion of the ne edle. Despite the fact that this was reported to have been performed a t L1-L2, an erroneous introduction into the upper interspace must be p ostulated since the spinal cord of this patient terminated at mid-L1. Our report is useful insofar as it may remind anesthesiologists and ne urologists to pay attention to the unusual complications of spinal ane sthesia that may require urgent intervention.