Transient lumbosacral polyradiculopathy after prostatectomy: Association with spinal stenosis

Mononeuropathies are common after pelvic surgery. They are usually the resu lt of unnatural positioning during surgery or faulty restraining devices. P olyneuropathy in the postoperative setting is rare. We report two cases of polyradiculopathy after radical prostatectomy using two different patient p ositions. Both patients complained of paresthesias and weakness in their lo wer extremities on postoperative day 1, Neurologic examination in each case was consistent with a polyradiculopathy. Significant spinal stenosis of th e lumbosacral spine was found in both patients by magnetic resonance imagin g. We propose that spinal stenosis is a risk factor for this type of neurol ogic injury.