[Syringomyelia discovered in the course of peridural anesthesia]

[Impaired consciousness associated with a hysterical conversion after obstetrical epidural analgesia: a case report with literature review]

The occurrence of impaired consciousness after epidural analgesia is an alarming situation that requires urgent diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Various causes may be responsible for such a state. Hysterical conversion remains an outstanding issue. Through a clinical case of a hysterical conversion and a literature review the authors draw attention to the difficulty of diagnosing this entity after epidural analgesia.

Anaesthesia for caesarean section in a patient with syringomyelia and Arnold-Chiari type I malformation

A 37-year-old primiparous woman with syringomyelia and Arnold-Chiari type I malformation was scheduled to undergo elective caesarean section for a fetus in the breech presentation. Caesarean section was performed under general anaesthesia without complications; all we observed was an exaggerated response to atracurium. The patient was discharged home 7 days after the operation without neurological deterioration. General anaesthesia was chosen in this patient to avoid any spinal manipulation that could increase intracranial pressure or reduce intraspinal pressure and cause deterioration of neurological symptoms. Syringomyelia is a progressive myelopathy characterised by cystic degeneration within the spinal cord, which causes severe neurological deficits. The anaesthetic management is discussed.

Spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery in a woman with a surgically corrected type I Arnold Chiari malformation

IMPLICATIONS

We report the successful management and outcome of spinal anesthesia for Cesarean delivery in a woman with a surgically corrected Arnold Chiari Type 1 malformation, a seizure disorder, and idiopathic thrombocytopenia of pregnancy.