Images in Anesthesiology: Spinal Subdural Hematoma after Spinal Drain for Endovascular Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair

SPINAL drain is indicated as a standard of care in open and endovascular thoracic aortic aneurysm repair to protect the spinal cord from ischemic injury and paralysis. Unfortunately, subdural hematoma is a complication of spinal drain that can happen during needle insertion, cerebrospinal fluid drainage, and catheter removal. Symptoms of subdural hematoma can manifest as low back pain, muscle weakness, paralysis, bowel or bladder incontinence, orcauda equina syndrome. These sagittal (panel A) and axial (panel B) T1-weighted magnetic resonance images of the lumbar spine demonstrate a subdural hematoma at the L5 to S2 vertebral levels that developed after difficult spinal drain placement.
Source: Anesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research