Periodic quadriplegia during the acute postoperative phase of cervical laminoplasty: a case report and literature review

Abstract

The use of antibiotics can, in rare cases, induce neuromuscular blockade (NMB), resulting in paralytic symptoms. Although such antibiotic-induced NMB has been described in the anaesthesiology and infectious disease literature, it is an unfamiliar clinical entity in the fields of neurosurgery and spinal surgery. Herein, we report a case of periodic quadriplegia due to NMB induced by perioperative prophylactic antibiotic of cefazolin, resulting in highly confusing paralytic symptoms during the acute postoperative phase of cervical laminoplasty, together with a review of the relevant literature.

Keywords: Cefazolin; Cervical laminoplasty; Complication; Epidural hematoma; Neuromuscular blockade; Perioperative prophylactic antibiotics.