Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2025
Intraoperative Ultrasound in Spinal Surgery
Published on: August 17, 2022
Post-operative Incomplete Quadriplegia Caused by Conversion Disorder in a Female After Gynecological Surgery: A Case
Maria L McCrackin1, Nicole A Weiss1
1Anesthesiology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, USA.
Conversion disorder (CD) is a psychological disease that presents as neurologic symptoms. This diagnosis of exclusion can include symptoms such as paralysis, blindness, non-epileptic seizures, and movement disorders. We describe a case of a healthy 39-year-old woman who underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy with a routine general anesthetic and developed incomplete quadriplegia and urinary incontinence post-operatively. Her labs and imaging were all within normal limits and neurology felt her presentation was inconsistent with most organic neurological insults. One month later, she received a diagnosis of conversion disorder.
Conversion disorder (CD) is a psychological disease that presents as neurologic symptoms. This diagnosis of exclusion can include symptoms such as paralysis, blindness, non-epileptic seizures, and movement disorders. We describe a case of a healthy 39-year-old woman who underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy with a routine general anesthetic and developed incomplete quadriplegia and urinary incontinence post-operatively. Her labs and imaging were all within normal limits and neurology felt her presentation was inconsistent with most organic neurological insults. One month later, she received a diagnosis of conversion disorder.
