Retrograde Surgical Placement of a Thoracic Epidural Catheter in a Patient Undergoing Combined Thoracic and Spinal Surgery

Vanessa B Davis,1 Mark Li,1 Flora Mian Li,1 Ryu Komatsu,2 Jiang Wu1 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA; 2Multi-Specialty Anesthesiology, Integrated Hospital-Care Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USACorrespondence: Jia...

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Main Authors: Davis VB, Li M, Li FM, Komatsu R, Wu J
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2025-07-01
Series:International Medical Case Reports Journal
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Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/retrograde-surgical-placement-of-a-thoracic-epidural-catheter-in-a-pat-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IMCRJ
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Summary:Vanessa B Davis,1 Mark Li,1 Flora Mian Li,1 Ryu Komatsu,2 Jiang Wu1 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA; 2Multi-Specialty Anesthesiology, Integrated Hospital-Care Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USACorrespondence: Jiang Wu, Email jiangwu@uw.eduAbstract: Epidural anesthetic techniques for postoperative analgesia are rarely considered in spinal surgery, and high thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) is considered medically risky. We present a successful case of surgical retrograde placement of a thoracic (T6-T7) epidural catheter under direct surgical visualization via T2 laminectomy in a patient who underwent combined thoracotomy and spinal surgery. TEA was confirmed by epidurogram, provided adequate postoperative pain relief, and the patient was discharged home three days post-surgery.Keywords: thoracic epidural analgesia, retrograde, laminectomy, thoracotomy
ISSN:1179-142X