Anesthetic management of acute cervical spinal cord injury in pregnancy

Acta Clin Croat. 2014 Mar;53(1):98-101.

Abstract

The incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury is 11,000 per year, with 55% of the injuries occurring between the age of 16 and 33, 18% of these in women of reproductive age. Diagnostic and early spinal decompression along with maintaining the mean arterial pressure to improve spinal cord perfusion and a high progesterone level in pregnancy for its neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effect have the leading role in neurological recovery and clinical outcome. We present a case of a patient in the 17th week of pregnancy who sustained luxation fracture of the C5 and C6 vertebrae and tetraplegia as passenger in a road accident. The early operative treatment and appropriate anesthetic procedure resulted in good clinical outcome with complete neurological recovery.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Adult
  • Anesthetics / therapeutic use*
  • Cervical Vertebrae / injuries*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Methylprednisolone / therapeutic use
  • Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use
  • Norepinephrine / therapeutic use
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / etiology
  • Pregnancy Complications / pathology
  • Pregnancy Complications / surgery*
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / etiology
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / pathology
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / surgery*
  • Spinal Fractures / etiology
  • Spinal Fractures / pathology
  • Spinal Fractures / surgery*
  • Spinal Fusion*
  • Vasoconstrictor Agents / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Anesthetics
  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • Vasoconstrictor Agents
  • Norepinephrine
  • Methylprednisolone