TETRAPLEGIA AFTER COLONOSCOPY - BENZODIAZ EPINE WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME DUE TO FLUMAZENIL

A case is reported of a 68-year-old female patient who developed a fla ccid tetraplegia on recovering from a colonoscopy, carried out under g eneral anaesthesia (3 mg of midazolam, 20 mg of etomidate). During the preanaesthetic visit, she omitted to report a 15-year-addiction to lo razepam 2.5 mg every night. At the end of the procedure, 0.2 mg of flu mazenil were injected. Recovery was immediate but followed by neurogic al signs associating general weakness, paraesthesia and tetraplegia. T hese symptoms discontinued spontaneoulsy two hours later. She was disc harged the same day but complained of myalgia and paraesthesia for a w eek. The physiopathology of this accident is unknown. The differential diagnosis and the influence. of flumazenil on benzodiazepine withdraw al are discussed.