Spinal cord injury: a rare complication following thoracic epidural anesthesia for percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Abstract

Herein, we report a rare instance of paraplegia following percutaneous nephrolithotomy under thoracic epidural anesthesia in a conscious patient. The possible factors include low body mass index, chronic renal failure, and multiple "in and out" needle passes during the procedure. Direct cord trauma with epidural bloody collection resulted in the neurological damage. However, the patient did not show signs of spinal cord trauma during the needle injury, possibly due to a prior accidental subarachnoid block. This not only delayed the recognition of the disorder, but also delayed treatment, consequently resulting in permanent paraplegia. Careful monitoring after epidural blocking should be undertaken in order to allow the early detection of mismanagement and limit the extent of neurologic injury.