[Rhabdomyolysis after prolonged surgery in lateral decubitus position]

We report an obese patient who developed rhabdomyolysis after prolonged surgery in lateral decubitus position. A 55-year-old woman, with a body mass index of 29.3 kg x m(-2), underwent removal of an acoustic neurinoma in lateral decubitus position which lasted 20 hours. There was no intraoperative muscle rigidity, redness of the urine or rapid elevation of PET(CO2) and body temperature. The patient developed skin ulcer in the left flank after the surgery. There were elevated levels of serum creatinine phosphokinase, AST, ALT, and myoglobin in the urine. CT of the abdomen taken two days after the surgery suggested the presence of rhabdomyolysis of the transverse abdominal muscles.