title: Successful pregnancy in a woman with paraplegia.
abstract: Pregnancy is a rare occurrence in patients suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI). Pregnancy in these patients presents unique challenges to obstetric care providers, who need to become familiar with the general principles of care in this setting. SCI alters the function of multiple organ systems and chronic medical conditions are common in this patient population. Certain medical complications such as urinary tract infections and autonomic hyper-reflexia, or autonomic dysreflexia, are expectable and can be managed successfully. A multidisciplinary team should care for delivery in these patients. The authors present a case of a pregnancy in a paraplegic woman whose lesion was at the level of T4. She received epidural analgesia and had a caesarian section. From this case, the authors aim to point out the specific concerns of the management of pregnancy and delivery in this setting emphasising the importance of a multidisciplinary team, specially obstetricians and anaesthetists.
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jorge Santos
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Cátia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.forename: Marcelina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrilho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010264:Paraplegia; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy