DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2019.v07i02.001

Pages: 102-104

The loss of resistance (LOR) technique for epidural space identification has been used for a long time. Air or normal saline can be used in this technique, and the author of this study usually used air. Until recently, use of air has not caused any problems. Recently a 62-year-old man visited the author’s clinic for low back and radiating left leg pain. He underwent spinal operation but following this, pain recurred intermittently. The author then performed interlaminar lumbar epidural block with LOR using air, and the patient’s pain was alleviated. However his symptoms recurred once again and he came back to the clinic. After one failed attempt, epidural steroid injection was successfully performed. However the patient’s back pain became so severe that he experienced discomfort in all body positions. Only when lying on his bed in a curled up position, he was able to achieve moderate relief from pain. A CT scan was immediately taken, which showed lumbar pneumorrhachis. After two days, while the patient’s pain was completely alleviated, he had hypoesthesia on his left lateral thigh. The author reports on this case along with review of the literatures.