Divergence paresis without positional headache: an unusual presentation of cerebrospinal fluid hypovolemia after spinal anesthesia.

Abstract

We report a rare complication of spinal anesthesia-divergence paresis-which is characterized by an acquired horizontal diplopia at distance without evidence for abducens palsy. A 64-yr-old man underwent prostatectomy under spinal anesthesia with 2.5 mL of dibucaine hydrochloride 0.3% injected through a 20-gauge cutting-tip spinal needle. Seventeen days after the operation, the patient noticed horizontal diplopia for distant objects. Although cranial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated diffuse pachymeningeal gadolinium enhancement and subdural effusion, characteristic findings of cerebrospinal fluid hypovolemia, the patient had no positional headache. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging may be useful when a patient develops neurologic symptoms after dural puncture.

• Authors: Motomi Arai, Satoko Matsushima, Hiroshi Terada
• Journal: Anesthesia and analgesia (Anesth Analg) Vol. 102 Issue 6 Pg. 1865-6 (Jun 2006) ISSN: 1526-7598 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 16717340 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Anesthetics, Local
• Gadolinium
• Dibucaine
• Paclitaxel

Topics

• Anesthesia, Spinal (adverse effects)
• Anesthetics, Local
• Brain (pathology)
• Cerebrospinal Fluid (physiology)
• Dibucaine
• Diplopia (etiology)
• Esotropia (etiology)
• Gadolinium
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Paclitaxel
• Prostatectomy
• Subdural Effusion (diagnosis)