Continuous spinal anesthesia for abdominal hysterectomy in a patient with kyphoscoliosis (case report)

Abstract

In kyphoscoliotic patients, the possibility of respiratory failure due to chronic pulmonary disease is high. Single dose spinal anesthesia in kyphoscoliotic patients may troublesome because of difficult access to subarachnoid space, decreased cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) volume, altered distribution of local anesthetic within the CSF, rapid onset of sympathetic blockade causing hemodynamic compromise and difficulty in predicting the level of block. In this paper, continuous spinal anesthesia (CSA) was presented for abdominal hysterectomy in a 67 years old woman with kyphoscoliosis and chronic bronchitis. Adequate analgesia was ensured during surgery. None of the hemodynamic, respiratory and neurological complications was observed. The patient was discharged at the postoperative 5, days. We think that CSA may be preferred in order to prevent hemodynamic and respiratory complications during abdominal and pelvic surgery of kyphoscoliotic patients as it provides adequate surgical analgesia quality and well-titrated sensorial block level.