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Irreversible spinal cord injury as a complication of subarachnoid ethanol neurolysis
M L McGarvey1, F M Ferrante, R S Patel
1Departments of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. mlmcgarv@mail.med.upenn.edu
Neurology
|April 6, 2000
Abstract:
Subarachnoid neurolysis using ethanol to destroy selectively the posterior roots of the spinal cord is a method for providing pain relief in patients with advanced cancer. Weakness of the extremities is a complication of the procedure that has been attributed to spread of the neurolytic agent to the anterior roots. The authors provide evidence of spinal cord injury as a cause of lower extremity weakness in a patient after subarachnoid ethanol neurolysis.