MUltiple sclerosis and obstetric epidural analgesia
Salvador, M.; Redín, J.; de Carlos, J.; Abad, L.
Revista Espanola de Anestesiologia y Reanimacion 44(1): 33-35
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-9356 PMID: 9148348 Document Number: 478036
A prior diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been considered a contraindication for performing epidural blocks due to the possible negative impact of the course of disease. For this reason, women with MS who given birth have rarely benefited from obstetric epidural analgesia. We report the case of a woman giving birth at full-term who had been diagnosed one year before the pregnancy of "probable" MS. She was given epidural analgesia with a mixture of bupivacaine and fentanyl at low doses. Both the birth and the immediate postpartum period transpired without complications and no new signs of disease were reported over the following years. We conclude that obstetric epidural analgesia with bupivacaine administered at a low concentration is safe for women with MS.