title: A case of sciatic neuropathy after caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia.
abstract: We present a rare case in which a healthy parturient developed a left sciatic neuropathy after spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section. Intraoperatively, a wedge was placed under her right buttock to tilt the pelvis and uterus to the left, to minimise aortocaval compression. Postoperatively, she complained of being unable to move her left foot. Neurologic examination revealed a left lower leg paresis. Electromyography showed denervation potentials on muscles innervated by left sciatic nerve. Seven weeks after surgery the patient had made a full recovery. We conclude that the prolonged lateral tilt position might cause compression neuropathy of the sciatic nerve. After childbirth, re-positioning the patient supine or shortening the time of lateral tilt may reduce the risk of sciatic nerve injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of 2nd Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. aysunposta@yahoo.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Postaci
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karabeyoglu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dikmen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D011187:Posture; D011247:Pregnancy; D020426:Sciatic Neuropathy / Q000209:etiology*