title: Rapid onset of guillain-barré syndrome after an obstetric epidural block.
abstract: Reports of acute onset of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after epidural anesthesia/analgesia after labor and cesarean delivery has raised concern of a correlation between GBS and the use of neuraxial anesthesia. We present a patient who developed bilateral lower extremity weakness and paraparesis within hours after removal of an epidural catheter for cesarean delivery. The clinical diagnosis was highly suggestive for GBS after magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid findings, electromyogram, and nerve conduction studies. We discuss the pathophysiological mechanisms suggested in previous case reports and describe the relationship between epidural analgesia and GBS.
authors.affiliation: From the *Florida Gulf to Bay Anesthesiology Associates LLC, Tampa, Florida; †Department of Anesthesiology, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, Georgia; and Departments of ‡Vascular Neurology and Neurocritical Care and §Surgery, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: Devanand
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mangar
authors.forename: Collin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sprenker
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karlnoski
authors.forename: Suvikram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puri
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Decker
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Camporesi