Edwards20 | 1943 | Vaginal delivery | Caudal | NS | NS | Epidural abscess, bacteremia | NS | NS | Staphylococcus aureus | Died 31 days after delivery |
Ferguson21,a | 1974 | Postoperative analgesia | Thoracic | NS | 2 days | Epidural empyema | 4 days | Fever, headache, meningism | S. epidermidis | Sensory impairment, spastic weakness, walks with crutches |
10 days | Urinary retention |
14 days | Paraparesis |
Saady22,a | 1976 | Postoperative analgesia | Thoracic | Yes | 1.7 days | Epidural abscess | 4 days | Fever | S. aureus | Sensory impairment, walks with minimal assistance |
8 days | Chills, abdominal pain right upper quadrant |
9 days | Headache, stiff neck |
10 days | Urinary retention |
14 days | Lower extremity paraparesis, no anal tone |
North1 | 1979 | 1. Priapism | Lumbar | No | 3 days | Epidural abscess | 1 day | Fever | S. aureus | Full recovery |
10 days | Stiff neck, dysphagia, back pain, absent ankle jerks |
2. Fractured ribs, chest injury | Thoracic | Yes | 4 days | Epidural abscess | 2 days | Fever | S. aureus | Sensory impairment |
4 days | Stiff neck, sensory loss T2 to T6 |
Wenningsted-Torgard23,b | 1982 | Lower back pain | Lumbar | NS | 6 days | Skin abscess, spondylitis, bacteremia | 10 days | Fever | S. aureus | Wedge formation of two vertebral bodies |
McDonogh24 | 1984 | Fractured ribs | Thoracic | Yes | 3.3 days | Epidural abscess | 2.5 days | Fever | S. aureus | Residual left-side weakness, uses walking frame, urinary retention |
19 days | Paralysis left leg, weakness, right leg, urinary retention, sensory deficit T7 to 8 |
Konig25 | 1985 | Knee surgery | Lumbar | NS | 4 days | Paravertebral and epidural abscesses, osteomyelitis, phlegmonous duritis, myelitis | 2 weeks | Pain, lower extremity paraparesis | S. epidermidis | Nearly complete recovery |
Sollmann26 | 1987 | Phantom limb pain | NS | NS | 6 weeks | Large encapsulated “spinal” abscess compressing dura at L4–5 | 6 weeks | Severe back pain | Pseudomonas aeruginosa | Persistent pain |
5 months | Severe sciatica |
Fine27 | 1988 | Neuralgic pain syndrome | Thoracic | Yes | 3 days | Site infection, epidural abscess | 9 days | Fever, chills, urinary retention | No culture obtained | Sensory impairment |
Ready28 | 1989 | 1. Vaginal delivery | Lumbar | NS | 50 min | Meningitis | 1 day | Headache, stiff neck, fever, back pain, nuchal rigidity | Streptococcus uberis | Full recovery |
2. Cesarean section | NS | NS | 3 days | Cellulitis | 3.5 days | Fever | Enterococcus faecalis | Full recovery |
Meningitis | 5.5 days | Headache, nuchal rigidity, photo-phobia, hyperacusis |
Berga29 | 1989 | Vaginal delivery | Lumbar | NS | NS | Meningitis | 1 day | Headache | Streptococcus sanguis | Full recovery |
Goucke30 | 1990 | Back pain | Lumbar | NS | 3 epidural injections | Bacteremia, epidural abscess | 3.3 weeks after last injection | Back pain, fever, urinary retention | Staphylococcus aureus | Died 7 weeks after laminectomy |
Lynch31 | 1990 | Intra- and postoperative analgesia | Lumbar | Yes | 3 days | Spondylitis | 3 days | Fever, chills, headache, back pain | Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 9-month recovery, wears lumbar brace, some lumbar pain |
Strong32 | 1991 | 1. Herpes zosterb | Thoracic | Yes | 2.5 days 3 daysc | Epidural abscess | 4.4 weeks | Pain, headache, stiff neck, fever, right flank pain | S. aureus | Full recovery |
2. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy | Cervical | Yes | 5 days | Cellulitis | 16 days | Cellulitis | Culture negative | Full recovery |
5 daysc | Epidural abscess | 7 weeks | Neck pain radiating to left arm |
Klygis33 | 1991 | Vaginal delivery | NS | NS | NS | Epidural abscess | 1.5 days | Back pain, paresthesias medial thigh and plantar surface of feet, fever | Group G streptococci | Full recovery |
Dawson34 | 1991 | Postoperative analgesia | Thoracic | Yes | 4 days | Epidural abscess | 12 days | Numbness and weakness in leg, urinary incontinence | S. aureus | Loss of motor function, requires indwelling urinary catheter, able to take few steps with help |
18 days | Paraplegia |
Waldmann142 | 1991 | Cervical radiculopathy | C6 | NS | NS | Epidural abscess | 72 h | Stiff neck and chills | S. aureus | Quadraparetic with partial function of upper extremities and able to walk |
Ferguson35 | 1992 | Intra- and postoperative analgesia | Lumbar | Yes | 4 days | Cellulitis, epidural infection | 7 days | Fever, back pain | S. aureus | Not specified |
NganKee36 | 1992 | Cesarean section | Lumbar | Yes | 50 h | Epidural abscess | 5 days | Fever, back pain, rigors, bacteremia, paresthesias, weakness of both legs | S. aureus | Full recovery after 8 weeks |
Sowter37 | 1992 | Intra- and postoperative analgesia | Thoracic | Yes | 5 days | Epidural abscess | 3.6 weeks | Back pain, urinary retention, paresthesias and weakness both legs | S. aureus | Paraplegic with indwelling urethral catheter |
Shintani38 | 1992 | Herpes zoster | Lumbar | NS | 3 days | Meningitis, epidural abscess | 3 days | Headache, nausea, vomiting, fever, somnolence, back pain | Methicillin- resistant S. aureus | Full recovery |
Nordstrom39 | 1993 | Fractured ribs | Thoracic | Yes | 6 days | Epidural abscess | 19 days | Back pain, numbness both legs, fever, paresis urethral sphincter | S. aureus | Incomplete recovery of motor function 4 months after laminectomy |
Mamourian143 | 1993 | PVD | L3–4 | NS | 48 h | Epidural abscess | 72 h | Lower extremity radicular pain and weakness, urinary retention | S. aureus | Full recovery |
Low back pain | NS | NS | Single shot | Epidural abscess | 2 weeks | Worsening pain, leg weakness, urinary retention | S. aureus | Died from ventricular tachycardia |
PVD | NS | NS | Single shot | Epidural abscess | 24 h | Fever | S. aureus | No neurologic deficit |
4 days | Leg spasm |
Davis40 | 1993 | Vaginal delivery | Lumbar | NS | Less than 1 day | Meningitis | 1.7 days | Headache, vomiting, confusion, delirium, fever | Group B β-hemolytic streptococci | Full recovery |
Ania41,b | 1994 | Lumbar pain | NS | NS | 8 days | Meningitis | 1 day 3 days | Headache Chills, vomiting | S. aureus | Full recovery |
Tabo143 | 1994 | Herpes zoster | L3–4 | NS | 3 days | Epidural abscess | 4 days | Fever, fatigue, pain | S. aureus | Full recovery |
Borum42 | 1995 | Vaginal delivery | Lumbar | Yes | 1 day | Epidural abscess | 4 days | Low back pain, tingling both lower extremities | S. aureus | Full recovery |
6 days | Weakness both lower extremities |
Liu43 | 1996 | Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy | NS | NS | NS | Meningitis | 2 days | Headache, photophobia | Streptococcus pneumoniae | Full recovery |
Dunn44 | 1996 | Intra- and postoperative analgesia | NS | NS | 1 day | Epidural abscess, osteomyelitis | 1 day | Neck and back pain | S. aureus | Mild hip and loin pain 5 months after the operation |
14 days | Back pain, nausea, vomiting, fever |
Cooper45,b | 1996 | Chronic back pain | Not specified | NS | Injection | Meningitis, cauda equina syndrome | 3 days | Increased back pain, chills, profuse sweating | S. aureus | Incontinent of stool |
13 days | Leg weakness, incontinent of stool |
Barontini46 | 1996 | Transurethral resection of prostate | Lumbar | NS | NS | Epidural abscess | 2 days | Fever, leg weakness | No culture obtained | Paraplegia |
4 days | Chills, pain, flaccid paraparesis of leg |
Pinczower7 | 1996 | Postoperative analgesia | Lumbar | NS | 4 days | L1 vertebral osteomyelitis | 3 weeks | Low back pain | P. aeruginosa | Full recovery |
Wang144 | 1996 | RSD | L2–3 and L3–4 (total of 4 catheters during 4 weeks) | NS | 4 weeks | Small epidural abscess with meningeal irritation | ? | Nuchal rigidity, back pain, nausea, photophobia, severe headache | Not identified | Full recovery |
Bengtsson9 | 1997 | 1. Analgesia after a traumatic amputation | L3–4 | Yes | 1 dayc | Meningitis | 4 days | Fever, pain and erythema at 2nd insertion site, stiff neck | P. aeruginosa | Full recovery |
T12–L1 | 4 days |
2. Analgesia for phantom pains after an amputation | Lumbar | Yes | 3 days | Soft tissue and interspinal abscess | 3 days | Fever, severe headache, erythema S. aureus and swelling at insertions site, back pain radiating to right thigh | No culture obtained | Radicular pain in lower back |
3. Analgesia for painful foot ulcers | Lumbar tunneled catheter | Yes | 16 days | Psoas abscess at L2 to L5 tracking to L3–4 intraspinal level | 11 days | Fever | S. aureus | Full recovery |
14 days | Pain radating from back |
Sarubbi47 | 1997 | 1. Analgesia for reflex sympathetic dystrophy | L1–2 | NS | 3 days | Epidural abscess | 3 days | High fever, cloudy drainage at catheter exit site | S. aureus | Recovered to her baseline |
2. Surgical anesthesia & postoperative analgesia | NS | NS | 2 days | Epidural abscess & meningitis | 2 days | Bilateral leg weakness and double vision | S. aureus | Ambulated with a walker at 3 months |
5 days | Flaccid paralysis, double vision from 3rd nerve palsy, meningism, sensory level L1 |
Iseki48 | 1998 | Analgesia for herpes zoster | 11 epidural injections then catheters at T6–7 T8–9 T7–8 | NS | 4 daysc | Epidural abscess at T6–7 and inflammation of the perivertebral muscles at T5 to 7 | 6 days after the final catheterization | Fever, elevated white blood count and C-reactive protein | Methicillin-resistant S. aureus | Full recovery |
1 day |
6 days |
O'Brien49 | 1999 | Analgesia for low back pain | 1 epidural injection | NS | Not applicable | Epidural abscess | 3 months | Back pain, bilateral lower extremity pain | Mycobacterium fortuitum | Full recovery |
Halkic50 | 2001 | Postoperative analgesia | T11–12 | NS | 4 days | Spondylodiscitis at L5–S1 | 4 days | Lumbar pain radiating to the groin | Propionibacterium acnes | Full recovery |
Phillips51 | 2002 | 1. Postoperative analgesia | Thoracic | NS | 3 days | Epidural abscess | 4 days | Fever | S. aureus | Full recovery |
5 days | Low backache, headache, tenderness at insertion site |
2. Postoperative analgesia | Thoracic | NS | 3 days | Epidural abscess | 3 weeks | Pain at insertion site, weakness in lower extremities, urinary retention | Methicillin-resistant S. aureus | Died of a pulmonary embolus and cardiac arrest |
Royakkers52 | 2002 | 1. Postoperative analgesia | L2–3 | Yes | 4 days | Epidural abscess | 3 days | Fever | S. aureus | Full recovery |
4 days | Elevated ESR, WBC, C-reactive protein |
5 days | Erythema at exit site |
7 days | Pus at insertion site |
2. Postoperative analgesia | T7–8 | NS | 5 days | Epidural abscess | 6 days | Erythema and pus at insertion site | S. aureus | Full recovery |
3. Postoperative analgesia | T10–11 | NS | 3 days | Epidural abscess | 7 days | Signs of local infection, back pain, fever to 39°C | S. aureus | Full recovery |
Hagiwara53 | 2003 | Postoperative analgesia | Low thoracic | NS | NS | Epidural abscess | 4.8 months | Fever, back pain, neck stiffness, coma, and quadriplegia | Methicillin- resistant S. aureus | Nearly full recovery |
Evans54 | 2003 | Labor analgesia | Lumbar | Yes | NS | Epidural abscess | 7 days | Back and leg pain | NS | Incomplete recovery |
9 days | Hot and cold flushes, flu-like illness, pain from back down both legs |
11 days | Fever, dehydration, tachycardia |
12 days | Unable to bear weight or pass urine, sensation decreased below knees |
Yue55 | 2003 | Low back pain | Caudal | NS in abstract | NS in abstract | Discitis | 4 weeks | Low back pain, elevated serum acute-phase
reactants, radiographic evidence of L4–L5 discitis | P. aeruginosa | Full recovery |