Korean J Anesthesiol.  2003 Nov;45(5):677-679. 10.4097/kjae.2003.45.5.677.

Unilateral Lower Limb Paralysis after Abdominal Hysterectomy: A case report

• Choi SS
• Ro YJ
• Do SH

• KMID: 1935963
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2003.45.5.677

Abstract

Postoperative neurological deficits are uncommon and may arise from diverse causes, and persistent neurological complications resulting from epidural anesthesia are extremely rare. We experienced a case of unilateral lower limb paralysis in a patient after abdominal hysterectomy under general and epidural analgesia. The condition persisted for more than several weeks despite gradual improvement, and believed to have resulted from epidural analgesia. However, neurological examination, electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction study (NCS) revealed isolated peripheral femoral neuropathy rather than radiculopathy. This neurological deficit seemed to have been caused by the self-retaining retractor, used intraoperatively. If the cause of a neurological complication is peripheral neuropathy, then it is probably associated with the surgical procedure rather than the anesthetic procedure.

Keyword

abdominal hysterectomy; epidural analgesia; femoral neuropathy; postoperative neurological deficits; self-retaining retractor

MeSH Terms

Analgesia, Epidural
Anesthesia, Epidural
Electromyography
Femoral Neuropathy
Humans
Hysterectomy*
Lower Extremity*
Neural Conduction
Neurologic Examination
Paralysis*
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Radiculopathy