Key result
Surgical decompression in the prone position under general anesthesia resulted in postoperative resolution of neurologic symptoms with no complications for the patients or fetuses in 3 pregnant women.
Why the study?
Does surgical decompression safely resolve neurologic symptoms in pregnant women with cauda equina syndrome?
Case Report (n=3)
Does surgical decompression safely resolve neurologic symptoms in pregnant women with cauda equina syndrome?
Surgical decompression for cauda equina syndrome during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy appears safe and effective for resolving neurologic symptoms.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports feasibility of prone decompression for CES in pregnancy; leaves open need for prospective data before practice change.
CASE: Low back pain affects >50% of pregnant women. However, cauda equina syndrome (CES) during pregnancy is rare. Because a delay in treatment increases the risk of irreversible neurologic damage, acute onset is regarded as a surgical emergency. We describe 3 cases of CES in pregnant women at 24, 27, and 30 weeks' gestation, respectively. CONCLUSION: All 3 of the patients underwent surgical decompression in the prone position under general anesthesia with continuous external monitoring of the fetal heart rate. Intraoperative findings were noteworthy for epidural venous plexus engorgement in 2 of the patients. There were no complications for the patients or the fetuses, and all 3 of the patients had postoperative resolution of the neurologic symptoms.
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Look et al. (2018) conducted a case report in Cauda equina syndrome during pregnancy (n=3). Surgical decompression in the prone position under general anesthesia was evaluated on Postoperative resolution of neurologic symptoms and complications. Surgical decompression in the prone position under general anesthesia resulted in postoperative resolution of neurologic symptoms with no complications for the patients or fetuses in 3 pregnant women.
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