SEVERE LUMBAR BACK PAIN FOLLOWING EPIDURAL INJECTION OF LOCAL-ANESTHETIC FOR EPIDURAL-ANESTHESIA - CASE-REPORT AND LITERATURE-REVIEW

Background and Objectives. An epidural anesthetic was planned for a 75 -year-old man scheduled for elective femoral-popliteal bypass grafting . Methods. Severe and persistent back pain and posterior thigh muscle spasm abruptly began 10 minutes after epidural injection of mepivacain e. Results. Signs of impending or evolving neurologic injury completel y resolved shortly therafter. Conclusions. The worst case scenarios, e pidural hematoma and unintentional epidural injection of an irritant, are discussed along with other differential diagnoses. The literature is reviewed to gain insight into this unusual clinical presentation.