Research Information System
Servikal ve Degeneratif Omurga Sempozyumu, Muğla, Turkey, 21 - 24 September 2017, pp.12
AMAÇ: Intraspinal air can be epidural, intradural or intradiscal. Lumbar space is wider than cervical
and thoracic space; because of this the radicular compression risk in cervical and thoracic regions is
increased more than lumbar region if air is trapped in epidural space. In this case we present a case with
epidural air after spinal surgery.
YÖNTEM: A 55-year-old woman had leg pain after subtotal excision of an extradural spinal mass.
Imaging methods showed entrapped air in Lumbar 4-5, at the operation site. One-week later spontaneous
resolution was seen in computed tomography images and the pain disappeared.
BULGULAR: There are many causes for entrapment of air in epidural space, nitrous oxide inhalation
prior to closure remains to be the most significant reason.
SONUÇ: Symptomatic cases with epidural air after lumbar spinal surgery are rare. Epidural entrapped air
sometimes causes radicular pain or new developed neurological deficit after a spinal mass excision. Air
in the surgical field may disappear with conservative treatment.