NEUROLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY

Prospective multidisciplinary audit from both hospital and community h as identified neurological complications persisting for more than 6 we eks in association with pregnancy and delivery. They occurred at a fre quency of 1 in 2530 deliveries in the North West Thames Region. Extrad ural analgesia was considered contributory to a neurological disorder in one of 13007 patients. The woman had prolonged paraesthesiae along a nerve root. The types of sensory, motor and sympathetic neurological problems presented ranged from transient problems to more serious dis orders resulting in death in one case. Seven of 19 patients had a cont inuing neurological disability for more than 1 yr. Although obstetrics may be associated with lumbar and sacral neurological disorders, prob lems occurred with the same frequency in the upper as in the lower hal f of the body. Significant morbidity is not being recognized in hospit als where women are being delivered and it is within the community tha t these disorders are recognized. This has implications for training, audit and risk assessment.