[Accidental spinal block during vertebral artroplasty: case report.]

Vertebral artroplasty with bone cement has its particularities and complications. Most often the procedure is performed under local anesthetic and sedation, but sometimes it is done under subarachnoid or epidural block with morphine to achieve postoperative analgesia. The objective of this report is to discuss the possible complications of vertebroplasties.

Male patient, 76 years old, presenting pathologic fracture in T12 was admitted for vertebral artroplasty and bone biopsy. Patient was sedated with midazolam and fentanyl, placed in the prone position, and the surgeon injected local anesthetic from the skin until the vertebral body of T12. He then took a biopsy of the vertebra and injected 6 mL of bone cement in T12. At the end of the procedure the patient presented paralysis of the lower limbs.

Surgeries in the spinal column are not free of complications. When it is associated with spinal block, the diagnosis of surgical complications might be delayed. Besides, anesthesia might be blamed for a problem caused by the surgical procedure.