Epidural anesthesia has many advantages, including block of surgical stress, postoperative pain management and prevention of postoperative complications. Therefore, we should use epidural anesthesia when indicated. However, patients with preexisting spinal stenosis or lumbar radiculopathy have higher incidence of neurologic complications after epidural anesthesia. Epidural abscesses caused by epidural anesthesia are rare. However, epidural abscesses are serious complications in patients. Knowing the risk factor of epidural abscesses is important to prevent epidural abscesses, and early diagnosis and early treatment are needed when suspected. It is important to have measures for safety in performing epidural anesthesia at every hospital. Recently, we have many anesthetic techniques, including epidural anesthesia, remifentanil infusion, ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks and intravenous PCA. Therefore, we should choose an anesthesia method based on the careful evaluation of the benefit and risk balance for the patient’s safety to reduce the incidence of complications
Keywords : Abscess,adverse effects,Anesthesia,Anesthesia,Epidural,Anesthesiology,complications,Contraindications,diagnosis,Early Diagnosis,Epidural Abscess,etiology,Female,Humans,Incidence,Male,methods,Nerve Block,Nervous System Diseases,Pain,Pain Management,Patients,physiology,Postoperative Complications,prevention & control,Radiculopathy,Risk,Risk Assessment,Risk Factors,Risk Management,Safety,Spinal Cord Diseases,Spinal Dysraphism,Spinal Stenosis,Stress,Physiological,Surgical Procedures,Operative,therapy,Universities,, Management,Epidural,Anesthesia, biopsychosocial model of pain
Date of Publication : 2011 Nov
Authors : Imamachi N;Saito Y;
Organisation : Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501
Journal of Publication : Masui
Pubmed Link : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22175165
The London Spine Unit : Harley Street UK. Specialists in Cutting Edge Technologies for Spinal Surgery