The Aword

This seems to be up for discussion of late in the media and the word 'arachnoiditis' was actually seen in print. Some are calling it an urban myth but Dr. Douglas says that because so many young woman are getting tatttoed in the lower back and then going on to have epidurals at childbirth anaethetists should modulate their technique when giving epidurals at childbirth when puncturing through tattoos due to the 'coring' effect.
There are no statistics as arach develops over time and is not reportable by law. She also mentions that the incidence of tattoos in this area and in general are on the rise.

www.cja-jca.org/cgi/content/full/49/10/1057

Based on the limited information available it is possible she says that inserting an epidural or spinal needle through a tattoo could cause long-term problems such as arachnoiditis or a neuropathy secondary to an inflammatory reaction, but we don?t know

radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/abstr...keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?...amp;col=991929131147
Kindly Aly

Very interesting post - just inserting a needle epidurally can cause scarring and long term problems, without the added insult of dyes and toxins in drugs! I also recall the technicians, who performed my nerve conduction studies after being injured, signalling the dangers of sticking needles anywhere close to the sacral, thorasic or cervical regions of the spine because of causing nerve damage by misplaced needles.