The earliest case of cauda equina syndrome caused by manipulation of the lumbar spine under a general anaesthetic.
Jonathan Hutchinson described a 42-year-old man with a previous history of alternating sciatica who had crushing of a pile under ether anaesthesia in 1889. When the patient awoke from the anaesthetic he had paralysis of his bladder and bowels. Jonathan Hutchinson could not establish a diagnosis. Evidence is presented to suggest that this was the first case of a prolapsed disc causing a cauda equina lesion as a result of anaesthesia and manipulation.
The National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, UK.
J R
JR
Silver
D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008349:Manipulation, Orthopedic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history*; D011128:Polyradiculopathy / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D012585:Sciatica / Q000266:history / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006113:United Kingdom