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Hemiballism-hemichorea from marked hypotension during spinal anesthesia
1Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Japan.
Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
|April 4, 1998
Summary
A rare case links anesthesia-induced hypotension to hemiballism and hemichorea. This neurological condition, affecting limbs, may stem from subthalamic nucleus ischemia, a risk anesthesiologists should note.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Anesthesia-induced hypotension is a known complication.
- Hemiballism and hemichorea are hyperkinetic movement disorders.
Observation:
- A 70-year-old woman developed hemiballism and hemichorea after spinal anesthesia with severe hypotension.
- Movement disorders affected the left limbs, characterized by ballistic and choreiform motions.
Findings:
- Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a focal ischemic lesion in the contralateral subthalamic nucleus.
- The lesion's location suggests a link between hypotension and subthalamic nucleus damage.
Implications:
- This case highlights a rare but potential neurological complication of severe hypotension during anesthesia.
- Anesthesiologists should consider subthalamic nucleus ischemia in patients presenting with these movement disorders post-hypotension.