[Obstetric analgesia for a patient with a history of 3 previous operations on the spine]

A history of spinal surgery is not currently considered a contraindication for regional obstetric analgesia. However, there are highly complex cases in which choosing the best analgesic technique presents genuine problems. We report the case of a woman in labor at full-term with 4-cm dilatation of the cervix who had undergone 3 operations for scoliosis and a herniated disk treated by T5-L4 and L4-sacral arthrodesis, laminectomy, and diskectomy. No previous anesthetic plan was in place, so we chose intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for labor and vaginal delivery and spinal anesthesia for a cesarean delivery. However, general anesthesia became necessary because it was impossible to reach the dura mater. The literature was reviewed to assess alternative forms of obstetric analgesia for patients who have undergone scoliosis surgery.