An office approach to the diagnosis of chronic cough

BACKGROUND: Some cancer patients require invasive techniques for control of chronic cancer pain. Many patients have benefited from local administration of opioids and anesthetics through an epidural catheter. However, epidural abscess and meningitis are side effects of epidural catheters that have serious morbidity and mortality. METHODS: In a retrospective study, the charts of all patients who received an epidural catheter for the management of chronic cancer pain in a 3-year period (1993-1996) were reviewed. Patients with nervous system infections were identified and pertinent clinical, radiologic (magnetic resonance imaging), and bacteriologic data were analyzed. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients received 137 epidural catheters for a total of 4326 catheter days. All but four patients had died at the time of the final analysis. The median survival after placement of the first epidural catheter was 38 days (range, 1 day--> 1000 days). Seventy-two patients received a percutaneous port whereas 19 patients were treated with an implanted subcutaneous port. Adequate pain relief was obtained in 76% of the 58 patients with nociceptive pain and in 73% of 33 patients with neuropathic pain. All neuropathic pain was associated with active tumor and could be classified as nociceptive nerve pain. Technical complications and superficial infections occurred in as many as 43% of patients. Deep infections occurred in 12 patients, 11 of whom had a spinal epidural abscess. CONCLUSIONS: Deep infection is a frequent complication of epidural analgesia and is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Only cancer patients with a short life expectancy (< or =3 months) should be treated with epidural analgesia.     

Use of laparoscopic equipment to divide abdominal adhesions in a filly

Extradural abscess is a rare but serious complication of the extradural route of administration of analgesic drugs. We report a case of spontaneous extradural abscess diagnosed during placement of an extradural catheter for analgesia after a negative diagnostic laparotomy. Magnetic resonance imaging is the usual diagnostic tool of choice. This, and subsequent surgery, confirmed the diagnosis suspected after drainage of pus through the Tuohy needle.     

What is your diagnosis? Leiomyosarcoma of the cecum

Epidural hematoma is a rare but serious neurological complication of epidural anesthesia. We report the case of a 61-year-old man with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung who suffered an epidural hematoma after undergoing right double lobectomy. Before anesthetic induction an epidural catheter was inserted to the D5-D6 space for postoperative analgesia. Surgery was without noteworthy events and the patient was extubated in the operating room; 5,000 IU of low molecular weight heparin was injected subcutaneously every 24 hours and 5 mg of methadone was provided by epidural catheter every 8 hours. After removal of the catheter three days after surgery, lumbar back pain and hypoesthesia, and weakness in both legs appeared. Epidural hematoma was suspected and treatment with 30 mg.kg-1 of methylprednisolone i.v. was started. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine confirmed the presence of a hematoma at D6-D8. Neurologic symptoms improved in the following hours and additional surgery was not required. The patient was released without neurological symptoms 10 days after lung surgery. We discuss the prevalence, etiology and treatment of epidural hematoma related to epidural anesthesia.     

Spinal epidural abscess--a case report

Despite modern medical advances, the morbidity and mortality rates associated with spinal epidural abscess remain significant, and the diagnosis is elusive. The incidence of spinal epidural abscess is approximately one to two cases per 10,000 among all patients admitted to hospitals. The symptoms of spinal epidural abscess are varied but include lower back pain, fever, local tenderness and neurological deficit especially in such high risk groups as patients with diabetes, intravenous drug abuse, chronic renal failure, alcoholism, liver disease and immunocompromization. Accumulation of data is difficult in that many physicians will never see a case during their careers. Herein, we present a case with lower back pain associated with both lower legs weakness. His abdomenon CT revealed retroperitonium and right perirenal abscess. External drainage as well as antibiotic treatment was done immediately. However, the lower legs weakness became severe and a lumbar spine MRI revealed T11-L4 epidural abscesses and L2-3 intervertebral space pus formation. Then, the patient was transfered to our Neurosurgical Ward for further treatment. His postoperative condition improved in both lower legs. This case report is to enhance the recognition and treatment of spinal epidural abscess, a rare affliction.     

Epiduritis after long-term pain therapy with an epidural catheter--review of the literature with a current case report

Patients suffering from vascular disease are often a challenge for the acute pain service. Ischaemia, impaired wound healing, stump and phantom limb pain often require a complex analgesic regimen. Invasive measures such as spinal or epidural catheters can be very helpful but carry the risk of infection, as shown by this case report. A 53-year-old woman with a ten-year history of diabetes developed arterial vascular disease. Her right lower leg had been amputated two years previously. She was now admitted with necroses of the left forefoot. A bypass operation was performed under general anaesthesia. Because of intractable ischaemic pain, she was provided with an epidural catheter by the acute pain service. The bypass occluded, however, and a few days later her left lower leg also had to be amputated, this operation being performed under epidural anaesthesia with bupivacaine. The catheter was subsequently used for postoperative pain control and as a means to prevent phantom limb pain. When signs of superficial catheter infection were noticed days later, the catheter was immediately removed. Intractable pain then developed in the left leg which could not be sufficiently controlled with opioids and NSAIDs, and so a second epidural catheter was inserted one segment rostrally. Several days later the infected vascular prosthesis had to be removed followed by amputation of the thigh, this operation also being performed in epidural anaesthesia. Eleven days after insertion of the first epidural catheter, the patient complained of low back pain and headache. Examination by a neurologist revealed no signs of intraspinal infection. The second epidural catheter dislocated at this point in time and it was decided to introduce a third one, this being the only means to treat the otherwise intractable stump pain. Ten days later meningism, Kernig's sign and leucocytosis developed. NMR tomography detected intraspinal fluid in the epidural space at the dorsal border of the spinal canal. A hemilaminectomy was performed. The spinal epidural space showed signs of inflammation of the adipose tissue, but no pus. A little necrotic material and residues of an old haematoma were removed and the epidural space was lavaged. Specimens taken from the epidural material revealed colonisation with staphylococcus epidermidis, which was sensitive to the broad spectrum antibiotics formerly given to the patient to treat the infection in the left stump. By the next day, all signs of epiduritis had disappeared and the patient recovered completely.     

Infections complicating tunneled intraspinal catheter systems used to treat chronic pain

Tunneled intraspinal catheters and catheter-pump systems are increasingly common treatments for severe chronic pain, but these long-term catheters have caused meningitis, epidural abscesses, and other serious infections. At a cancer referral center, 81 catheters were placed in 72 patients over a 7-year period. There were seven catheter-associated infections: two were meningeal (one was accompanied by an epidural abscess and one by a pocket infection and bacteremia), four were associated with a pocket, and one was associated with a tunnel. The infection rate was 0.77 per 1,000 catheter-days. Pathogenic organisms that were isolated were primarily normal skin flora. By multivariate Cox analysis, the only factor significantly associated with catheter infection was prolonged catheter placement surgery, i.e., a procedure lasting at least 100 minutes (RR, 8.8; 95% CI, 1.6-50). Three patients were cured by removal of the catheter and treatment with antibiotics, and symptoms were satisfactorily suppressed in four patients with antibiotics alone. Considering the severity of illness in catheter recipients, the infection rate was relatively low. Removal of the catheter does not appear mandatory when the goal is suppression of infection-related symptoms, especially when the infection has not spread to the CNS, the infecting organism has an intrinsically low virulence, and the infected patient is terminally ill.     

Iliopsoas abscess accompanied by epidural abscess--a case report]

A 55-year-old man was admitted to a hospital with pain of the low back as well as the left leg, and fever. He was suspected of suffering from the lumbar disc herniation because of the presence of Lasegue's sign on the first physical examination. Abdominal computed tomography, however, revealed the swelling of the left iliopsoas muscle. Iliopsoas abscess accompanied epidural abscess was confirmed by subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Antibiotic therapy was started for the successive 8 days. The fever resolved, but the pain persisted. The abscess extending from the iliopsoas muscle to the epidural space was still seen on the MRI 20 days after the completion of the antibiotic therapy, and he still complained of the pain of his low back and left leg. Therefore, we conducted epidural puncture under fluoroscopic guidance. Approximately 3 ml of pus was aspirated from the epidural space. Then, his complains decreased remarkably. Iliopsoas abscess should be taken into account in case of a patient with pain on the low back and leg and also inflammatory signs such as fever and leucocytosis.     

Integrin signalling and tyrosine phosphorylation: just the FAKs?

PURPOSE: Physical rehabilitation is one of the major forms of treatment of chronic low back pain. The ability of some patients to cooperate is limited by pain. Since 1992 continuous epidural analgesia has been combined with a physical rehabilitation programme for patients with chronic low back pain who have been unable to make progress with conventional physical rehabilitation due to severity of pain. METHOD: This study reports a series of 46 consecutive patients with chronic back pain admitted over a 6 month period to a 5-day inpatient rehabilitation programme. A lumbar epidural catheter was inserted and bupivacaine 0.125% was infused at a rate that produced analgesia without sensory or motor deficit over a period of 5 days. An intensive mobilizing physiotherapy programme was instituted. Physical and psychological parameters were measured on day 1, after 1 week, after 1 month and after 1 year. RESULTS: Time to complete a 50 m walk, time from sitting to standing, and spinal flexion were improved at 1 week and 1 month, but only time to complete the walk remained improved at 1 year. In Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire 28 scores were improved for social dysfunction, somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, and depression, at 1 week and 1 month but only social dysfunction remained improved at 1 year. Using a Visual Analogue Scale pain ratings were unaltered after 1 year. CONCLUSION: Continuous 5 day epidural analgesia combined with intensive physiotherapy may offer a means of initial rehabilitation of chronic low back pain. The initial benefit was most marked at 1 week, with benefit still evident after 1 month. However, the benefit decreased with time. This technique may be of value as part of a more comprehensive programme of physical and psychological rehabilitation.     

Combined Sever''s release of the shoulder and osteotomy of the humerus for Erb''s palsy

We report a case of lumbar extradural abscess that presented 9 days after an elective Caesarean section performed under combined spinal-extradural anaesthesia. This was successfully treated conservatively with full recovery. The clinical course included development, and then resolution, of mild paraparesis. Conservative treatment of an extradural abscess in the obstetric population has not been described previously.     

Long-term epidural analgesia for pregnancy-induced intercostal neuralgia

Intercostal neuralgia is one of many possible neurological disorders associated with pregnancy. A woman presented in the 34th week of her 4th pregnancy with progressing right-sided pain and hypoesthesia in the ribs, right upper quadrant of the abdomen, and mid-thoracic area of her back. With a clinical diagnosis of pregnancy-related intercostal neuralgia, we inserted an epidural catheter at T8 for ambulatory pain management. A continuous infusion of bupivacaine was titrated by concentration and rate until adequate analgesia was obtained. The final effective dose consisted of 0.125% bupivacaine at 6 ml/h with a patient-controlled bolus dose of 2 ml every 30 min as needed (4-6 boluses per 24-h period). This allowed the patient to continue to work full-time and perform daily activities with minimal discomfort. The epidural infusion was continued until the patient went into spontaneous labor 28 days after the initial clinical visit. A full-term infant was delivered without incident. No major complications occurred such as local anesthetic toxicity, hypotension, motor weakness, or infection. Minor complications included disconnection of the catheter cap and accidental dislodgment, which required placement of a second epidural catheter. For this patient, an appropriately placed chronic epidural catheter and a titrated continuous infusion of bupivacaine provided adequate and safe analgesia for pregnancy-associated intercostal neuralgia.     

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A 38-year-old woman presented with severe intractable pain in the sacral and perirectal areas secondary to metastatic stage I.B. squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. METHODS: An indwelling epidural catheter was placed to control the patient's symptoms after failure of conservative therapies. Finally, an infusion containing isobaric 0.2% ropivacaine with 0.002% preservative-free morphine and 0.0002% epinephrine was started to treat her pain and preserve motor function to preserve quality of life. RESULTS: The patient obtained good pain relief with this regimen and was discharged home. She was able to walk with assistance and maintain good quality of life until her death approximately 7 weeks after the placement of the indwelling epidural catheter. CONCLUSION: The use of ropivacaine in combination with other analgesics, via an intrathecal catheter for patient-controlled analgesia, was an effective treatment for this patient. In the future, ropivacaine administered epidurally or intrathecally alone, or in combination with other analgesics, may become the local anesthetic of choice due to its preservation of motor function. Certainly, further scientific studies are indicated in the cancer patient population.     

Epidural blood patch in a seven-year-old child

We present an unusual case of postoperative headache in a child after an epidural block. A seven-year-old girl (ASA 1) was scheduled to undergo a urological procedure under general anaesthesia combined with an epidural technique for intra- and postoperative analgesia. Although there was no evidence of dural puncture when the block was performed, the patient developed a headache postoperatively. The headache, which was accompanied by neck pain, appeared in the sitting or standing position and was relieved by decubitus. According to the mother, her child had never complained of those symptoms in the past. After independent evaluation by an anaesthetist and a neurologist, a postdural puncture headache (PDPH) was considered the most likely diagnosis. As oral analgesics failed to provide relief, and epidural blood patch (EBP) using 10 ml autologous blood was performed under light sedation. This was followed by resolution of the symptoms. Epidural injections of opioids and local anaesthetics are becoming increasingly popular for pain management in children. This implies that there may be an increasing number of unintentional dural punctures that may result in more PDPHs in children. Epidural blood patches are effective in treating PDPHs in adults but their use has been reported very rarely in children. Resolution of the patient's symptoms following EBP supported the diagnosis while illustrating that EBP can be useful in the treatment of PDPH in children.     

Epidural abscess: case report and review of the literature

Spinal epidural abscess is an uncommon site of infection, resulting in back pain, fever, weakness and loss of sensibility. These signs should suggest the diagnosis, and quick confirmation by MRI should be performed. Immediate surgical decompression and antibiotherapy is necessary, because this is the base of a possible successful functional recovery. Empiric therapy consisting of high dose of penicillinase-resistant antibiotics is advised because most often an epidural abscess is caused by Staphylococcus aureus. However, because other bacteria can be involved, an aminoglycoside or a cephalosporin should be added to the empiric treatment, until the results of the cultures are known. When diagnosis and therapy are delayed, permanent paralysis and death are common.     

Method of evaluation "MMexico" in emergency medicine

An 11-year-old boy suffered an inadvertent dural puncture during placement of an epidural catheter for postoperative analgesia. He developed symptoms of mild headache only, but severe and protracted orthostatic nausea and dizziness, which eventually resolved completely following epidural blood patch. His symptoms were atypical and could have been misinterpreted in the context of dural puncture for diagnosis, or for administration of intrathecal chemotherapy. The reported incidence of headache following dural puncture in children is low. It may be that the manifestations are different from those of adults and that the true incidence of symptoms related to leakage of cerebrospinal fluid is higher in children than currently recognised.     

An amebic liver abscess; early suspicion, late detection

Two men aged 38 and 26 years developed symptoms including pain in the (upper) abdomen, malaise and fever 1.5-5 months after visiting the Caribbean. It was only after repeated ultrasonography that liver abscesses were observed. Adequate treatment was instituted and the patients recovered. The diagnosis of 'amoebic abscess of the liver' is usually based on the clinical presentation, the serological findings and characteristic observations at ultrasonography. However, if patients are seen at an early stage of development of the abscess, the serological findings may be negative and the ultrasonographic findings normal; consequently these findings do not justify exclusion of the diagnosis.     

Neonatal lupus erythematosus occurring in identical twins

Cranial epidural abscesses are unusual in neurosurgical practice. Mostly they are secondary to skull bone osteomyelitis of foreign body implantation as a result of trauma, or infection of paranasal sinus, otitis, and mastoiditis in adults or late adolescents. The purulent inflammatory process of the epidural abscess, thrombophlebitis of the venous drainage, septic thrombosis, direct extension into the orbit, carvenous sinus, superior orbital fissure give the epidural abscess a high mortality and morbidity. We present an interesting case, who has had psychiatric symptoms such as bizarre behavior, auditory and visual hallucination for about two years. Incidental brain computed tomograms, to exclude the organic-somatic disorder, revealed a huge brain abscess. Emergent surgical intervention was carried out and the episodes of talking to himself and auditory hallucination subsided. The removal of the epidural abscess eliminated the symptoms and cured the patient. All the right amygdata, entorhinal area, cingulate gyrus, hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus of this patient were compressed by the huge abscess. All these structures belonged to limbic system. Diseases involving the limb system may cause emotional disturbances, such as delusions, illusions and hallucinations, emotional lability, pathological laughing and crying, rage reaction and aggression, apathy and placidity, even endogenous fear, anxiety, depression and euphoria. Dramatic improvement of the patient was found after surgical removal of the abscess. We highlight this interesting case for it will undoubtedly bring together a large cooperation of psychiatrists, neurologists and neurosurgeons.     

The NMDA-receptor antagonist ketamine abolishes neuropathic pain after epidural administration in a clinical case

A 14-year-old male patient developed severe right limb pain after traumatic sciatic nerve injury. His pain was diagnosed as neuropathic pain (complex regional pain syndrome, type II). He did not respond to any conventional therapy for limb pain including non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, continuous epidural administration of local anesthetics and psychotherapy. Following continuous epidural administration of a very low dose of ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist, 25 microg/kg per h for 10 days, complete pain relief was obtained without any side-effects. There has been no recurrence of pain for 8 months after discontinuation of epidural ketamine. The symptoms related to dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system still remained after complete pain relief. We discuss pain mechanisms, pain relief and the use of ketamine in this case.     

Spinal epidural abscess. Optimizing patient care

The medical literature regarding spinal epidural abscess has two common threads: reports of poor prognosis and appeals for rapid treatment. Spinal epidural abscess is a difficult diagnosis to make because of its rarity--many physicians will never see a case during their careers. Among all patients admitted to hospitals, the incidence is approximately one to two cases per 10,000. Only increased awareness and swift management of spinal epidural abscess will improve outcome. Our goal through this report is to enhance the recognition and treatment of spinal epidural abscess. We present 28 new cases of spinal epidural abscess, giving special attention to the peculiarities of the disease; we compile and analyze comprehensive data from cases from literature; and finally, we present the results of 16 retrospective personal interviews of infected patients.     

Amebic liver abscess of unusual presentation

A 35-year-old male who had travelled extensively in the tropics presented with severe anorexia and vomiting associated with fever of 39-40 degrees C during a 4-day period. The clinical findings were entirely negative. In 1973, he had been given metronidazole for amebic dysentery, since when recurrent attacks of diarrhea and abdominal pain had been treated with iodoquinoleines. Stool examination was negative for amebae. Liver scan revealed a suspect "expansive process" in the right lobe. The presumptive diagnosis of amebic abscess was made and metronidazole therapy was started. In less than 24 h the patient became afebrile. The abscess was confirmed by a further liver scan. The definitive diagnosis of amebiasis was established 16 days later when the immunofluorescence level, which had been previously negative, became positive 1/480. This case demonstrates the dangers of the indiscriminate use of iodoquinoleines in patients who have travelled in tropical countries. The amebic liver abscess may be silent locally while causing systemic manifestations such as fever. Early treatment of hepatic amebiasis is recommended even with a presumptive diagnosis. Serological tests during the development of an amebic abscess may be negative and should be repeated after several days of therapy.     

Treatment of incomplete analgesia after placement of an epidural catheter and administration of local anesthetic for women in labor

BACKGROUND: Approximately 15% of women still have pain after placement of an epidural catheter and administration of local anesthetic for labor analgesia. Two techniques frequently used to treat this pain were compared: (1) withdrawal of the catheter 1 cm and repeated dosing with additional local anesthetic, and (2) repeated dosing with additional local anesthetic without any catheter manipulation. METHODS: Fifteen minutes after placement of a multiple-orifice epidural catheter 5 cm into the epidural space and administration of 13 ml 0.25% bupivacaine to the parturient in labor, the adequacy of analgesia was assessed. All women who had incomplete analgesia were randomized (first intervention) to receive an additional 5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine (local-anestheticonly group) or to receive 5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine after first withdrawing the epidural catheter 1 cm (catheter-manipulation group). If after 15 min the woman still had pain, then (second intervention) the catheter was withdrawn 1 cm and an additional 5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine was administered to the local-anesthetic-only group, whereas 5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine was given to the catheter-manipulation group without further catheter manipulation. The success rate of the second intervention was assessed 15 min later. RESULTS: Seventy-eight women were enrolled in the study, 39 to each group. In the local-anesthetic-only group, 29 (74%) women were successfully treated with the first intervention and the remaining 10 (100%) were successfully treated with the second intervention. In the catheter-manipulation group, 30 (77%) were successfully treated with the first intervention and 7 (100%; 2 patients were not studied because of investigator error) were successfully treated with the second intervention (P=NS). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of additional local anesthetic without first withdrawing the epidural catheter will effectively treat most women for whom analgesia is incomplete after the placement of an epidural catheter during labor.