To the Editor: The insertion of an epidural for pain relief in labour was complicated by a dural puncture. During the subsequent infusion the patient complained of numbness over her face. There was no accompanying tinnitus or circumoral numbness and pulse and blood pressure remained within normal limits. On examination an area of numbness, to pain and cold, was confined to the bilateral distrib...

Background: Continuous epidural infusion (CEI) can provide analgesia during labor. The dural puncture (DPE) technique is used to accelerate the onset of neuraxia anesthesia. primary objective this study was compare percentage patients that received adequate labor following an injection 0.08% ropivacaine via DPE and CEI techniques combined with PIEB mode maintenance.

The treatment of five patients with dural arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the cavernous sinus via the superior ophthalmic vein (SOV) is reported. The procedure was performed by transcutaneous puncture of the SOV under the guidance of real-time digital subtraction angiography. Complete resolution of the ocular symptoms was achieved in all cases. Angiograms after embolization showed complet...

BACKGROUND Accidental dural puncture (ADP) after epidural analgesia (EDA) for labor pain may cause severe postdural puncture headache (PDPH) and may prolong hospital stay. We aimed to identify techniques that reduce the incidence of ADP. METHODS A systematic literature search was performed. Data on the occurrence of ADP and PDPH were extracted and subjected to meta-analysis. The random effect...

Although epidural anaesthesia and analgesia are widely used in obstetrics, there are no large contemporary prospective series detailing associated complications. Prospective data was collected on all obstetric epidural blocks performed for labour and delivery in a single institution between July 1989 and August 1994. A data entry sheet was compiled and entered onto a computer database. Confiden...