Extradural abscess complicating lumbar extradural anaesthesia and analgesia in an obstetric patient

A 33-year-old nulliparous woman with severe pre-eclampsia was treated with extradural analgesia to control blood pressure and relieve pain during delivery. Nine hours after extradural catheter insertion a Caesarean section was performed due to uterine inertia. The extradural catheter was kept in place for 88 hours. Ten days following the extradural block she developed an extradural abscess and had to undergo a laminectomy. In a retrospective and, in part, prospective analysis on more than 13,000 extradural blocks, we studied the incidence of this dreaded complication and reviewed the literature on clinical findings, diagnosis and treatment.