Intrathecal cefazolin-induced seizures following attempted discography

This report describes a 39 year-old woman who underwent attempted discography and intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) of the L5/S1 intervertebral disc. The procedure was abandoned after multiple unsuccessful attempts to cannulate the disc. The case was complicated by at least two lumbar dural punctures, confirmed by injection of nonionic contrast that contained 12.5 mg/mL of cefazolin, included for prophylaxis of discitis. About 45 minutes later the patient developed severe back pain. Shortly thereafter she became progressively agitated and confused, and developed intractable seizures and coma. Despite aggressive treatment the patient could not be resuscitated and expired several hours later. Convulsions were initially attributed to an adverse reaction to meperidine and promethazine, given for the back pain, however this explanation proved to be untenable. In addition, the accidental administration of an ionic contrast agent, such as Hypaque(R), was excluded. Based on a detailed review of the case and the literature, it was concluded that the patient succumbed from an unintentional dose of intrathecal cefazolin, which had been diluted in the nonionic contrast agent that was used to confirm needle placement. Available evidence indicates that cefazolin is a potent epileptogenic agent when given intrathecally. The facts of the case and the evidence supporting the conclusion are presented. It is recommended that cefazolin not be mixed with the contrast agent used to document initial needle placement during discography.