SPINAL-ANESTHESIA FOR CESAREAN-SECTION AFTER HARRINGTON INSTRUMENTATION

A case is presented of a 33-yr-old parturient with Harrington fusion o f her spine who received spinal anaesthesia with 15 mg hyperbaric bupi vacaine for Caesarean delivery. Multiple attempts of needle insertion in both midline and paramedian at the L3-4 interspace were unsuccessfu l, whereas the procedure was performed uneventfully at the midline of the L5S1 interspace. The anatomical considerations and difficulties in achieving reliable epidural anaesthesia after Harrington fusion are r eviewed. Spinal anaesthesia performed at the L5S1 interspace may provi de less technical difficulty and a more reliable result in such patien ts.