Foot drop after spinal anesthesia in a patient with a low-lying cord.
Damage to the spinal cord/conus medullaris due to incorrect identification of the lumbar space is a known complication of lumbar puncture. However, damage to a low-lying cord using an appropriate interspace is extremely rare. We describe a 26-year-old woman who underwent emergency caesarean section under spinal anesthesia. She developed right foot drop immediately after surgery, which gradually recovered over the next 10 months. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a low lying cord with a fatty filum terminale and intramedullary T2 hyperintensity, suggestive of needle damage.
Ahmad
F U
FU
Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosciences Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Pandey
P
P
Sharma
B S
BS
Garg
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000209:etiology*