Choosing an anesthetic technique in pregnant women with Arnold – Chiari malformation

Abstract

We want to present the clinical case of a female patient with the asymptomatic Chiari I type malformation, without surgical correction and with concomitant epilepsy who underwent planned C-section under epidural anesthesia. A 29-year old pregnant women on the 39 week of pregnancy entered the maternity hospital for the delivery. It was decided to conduct a planned caesarean section. The epidural anesthesia with 0.75 % solution of the ropivacaine was chosen as the method of anesthesia. The patient did not receive antiepileptic treatment due to her implacable refusal. She underwent surgery and anesthesia well. On the third day after surgery, the patient suffered of a convulsive as sault, which was stopped by intravenous administration of diazepam. This article briefly describes the genetic background, classification, clinical manifestations and treatment tactics for patients with Chiari malformation and the features of C-section anesthesia in pregnant women with this pathology.