Biomaterial Database

Postoperative paraplegia in a patient with an unsuspected dural arterio-venous malformation. 1990

N Woodall, and N J Huggins, and D A Jewkes

Department of Anaesthesia, National Hospitals for Nervous Diseases, London.

We report a case in which laminectomy was performed in a patient with symptoms attributed to lumbar canal stenosis. The patient developed paraplegia in the early postoperative period. Further investigation revealed a dural arterio-venous malformation. This was treated surgically, producing some neurological recovery. The possible mechanisms for the perioperative deterioration and their implications for anaesthesia are discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007796	Laminectomy	A surgical procedure that entails removing all (laminectomy) or part (laminotomy) of selected vertebral lamina to relieve pressure on the SPINAL CORD and/or SPINAL NERVE ROOTS. Vertebral lamina is the thin flattened posterior wall of vertebral arch that forms the vertebral foramen through which pass the spinal cord and nerve roots.	Laminotomy,Laminectomies,Laminotomies
D008297	Male		Males
D010264	Paraplegia	Severe or complete loss of motor function in the lower extremities and lower portions of the trunk. This condition is most often associated with SPINAL CORD DISEASES, although BRAIN DISEASES; PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES; NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASES; and MUSCULAR DISEASES may also cause bilateral leg weakness.	Paralysis, Lower Extremities,Paraplegia, Spastic,Spastic Paraplegia,Paralysis, Legs,Paralysis, Lower Limbs,Paraplegia, Ataxic,Paraplegia, Cerebral,Paraplegia, Flaccid,Paraplegia, Spinal,Ataxic Paraplegia,Ataxic Paraplegias,Cerebral Paraplegia,Cerebral Paraplegias,Flaccid Paraplegia,Flaccid Paraplegias,Paraplegias,Paraplegias, Ataxic,Paraplegias, Cerebral,Paraplegias, Flaccid,Paraplegias, Spastic,Paraplegias, Spinal,Spastic Paraplegias,Spinal Paraplegia,Spinal Paraplegias
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D004388	Dura Mater	The outermost of the three MENINGES, a fibrous membrane of connective tissue that covers the brain and the spinal cord.	Falx Cerebelli,Falx Cerebri,Pachymeninx,Tentorium Cerebelli
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001165	Arteriovenous Malformations	Abnormal formation of blood vessels that shunt arterial blood directly into veins without passing through the CAPILLARIES. They usually are crooked, dilated, and with thick vessel walls. A common type is the congenital arteriovenous fistula. The lack of blood flow and oxygen in the capillaries can lead to tissue damage in the affected areas.	Arteriovenous Malformation,Malformation, Arteriovenous,Malformations, Arteriovenous
D013130	Spinal Stenosis	Narrowing of the spinal canal.	Spinal Stenoses,Stenoses, Spinal,Stenosis, Spinal