The Aword

I am trying to find out what the consensus is on having an epidural vs
general anesthesia during surgery if one is somewhat symptomatic and has NOT
had decompression surgery. Is one recommended over the other?
hi doc this one was a email ann

I would counsel caution with regard to an epidural if you already have back problems; there again, a lot depends on the relative risks of regional (epidural) anaesthetic compared with a general anaesthetic and that will depend on individual circumstances. For instance, if there are heart/lung/other organ problems, then a general might be more risky and in that case, a regional anaesthesia a safer option.
If there has been previous back surgery or trauma, the risk is that the epidural space will be compromised (by scar tissue) which would increase the risk of a dural puncture.

Hope this makes things a bit clearer

Regards,

DocSarah

THIS IS MOST INTERESTING. MY LAST ANESTHES. TOLD ME MY LAST ESI (#29) WAS SAFE, NO RISKIER THAN ANY OTHER. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE 3 LAYERS OF SCAR TISSUE FRM 3 PRIOR LUMBAR OPERAT'IONS. GUESS YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR. IT WAS A ROUGH ESI. NO WALKING FOR WEEKS,
AL
DocSarah wrote: