Epidural Anesthesia for Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Park,  Eun Gyung; Park,  Kyung Woo; Cho,  Byung Moon

doi:2002.42.3.331

Clinical Research Article

Korean Journal of Anesthesiology 2002;42(3):331-335.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2002.42.3.331

Epidural Anesthesia for Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Eun Gyung Park, Kyung Woo Park, Byung Moon Cho

¹Department of Anesthesiology, Kwang Hye Hospital, Korea. nschbm@hallym.or.kr
²Department of Neurosurgery, Kwang Hye Hospital, Korea.
³Department of Neurosurgery, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Many anesthesiolosists feel that epidural anesthesia is unsuitable for spinal sugery. However, several articles have been published in which epidural anesthesia is viewed as a good alternative to general anesthesia for spine surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate effectiveness and complications of epidural anesthesia for spine surgery.
METHODS
Eighty-two patients undergoing epidural anesthesia for spine surgery was studied prospectively. Epidural anesthesia was performed using 18-gauge Tuohy needles inserted at the L1-2 interspace. A test dose of lidocaine 3 ml was injected to check for a subarachnoid puncture. After a 2 - 3 minute waiting period, 0.5% bupivacaine 12 ml was slowly injected for 3 minutes. The pain at the operation site and roots, extension of anesthesia, motor blockade and complications were evaluated.
RESULTS
Pain at the operation site was minimal in 83% of the patients; however, 44% of the patients complained of moderate to severe root pain. No patient had a new neurologic deficit as a result of the epidural technique. Perioperative complications were minimal and could be easily treated.
CONCLUSIONS
We concluded that proper administration of epidural anesthesia for spine surgery is a safe and reliable procedure and a good alternative to general anesthesia.

Key Words: Epidural anesthesia; lumbar spine surgery