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From the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, London Health Science Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Arif Al-areibi, Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital, London, Ontario N6A 5A5, Canada. Phone: 519-685-8500, ext. 33283; Fax: 519-663-3079. E-mail: aareibi{at}yahoo.com
Purpose: To describe the anesthetic considerations for a near-term parturient with progressive cauda equina syndrome who required Cesarean delivery followed immediately by decompression lumbar discectomy and laminectomy in the prone position.
Clinical features: A 33-yr-old woman presented at 35 weeks gestation with severe L5–S1 disc herniation causing motor and sensory neuronal dysfunction in the lower limbs accompanied by bowel and bladder dysfunction. After urgent multidisciplinary consultations, a decision was made to proceed with general anesthesia for Cesarean delivery in the supine position with left uterine displacement, followed immediately thereafter by L5–S1 discectomy and laminectomy in the prone position. Anesthesia concerns included the risks of hemorrhage from the combined surgeries and upper airway edema from the prone position, and the physiologic changes of pregnancy. The surgeries proceeded without complication, and both mother and baby recovered uneventfully.
Conclusion: With a multidisciplinary approach, two surgeries in two different positions with unique anesthetic considerations were performed safely under general anesthesia in advanced pregnancy in a parturient with cauda equina syndrome.
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