Low-dose spinal anaesthesia for a parturient with Takayasu's arteritis undergoing emergency caesarean section

Dutta B, Pandey R, Darlong V, Garg R
Correspondence: Dr Ravindra Pandey, trips22003@yahoo.co.in

ABSTRACT
Takayasu’s arteritis is a rare form of nonspecific obliterative panarteritis of unknown aetiology. Anaesthesia for patients with Takayasu’s arteritis is complicated by severe uncontrolled hypertension leading to end-organ dysfunction, stenosis of major blood vessels affecting regional circulation, and difficulties in the monitoring of arterial blood pressure. The anaesthetic approach for parturients with Takayasu’s arteritis has not been standardised in the literature, and previous reports have documented the use of general as well as regional anaesthesia. There are few instances in the literature where low-dose spinal anaesthesia alone is used in patients with Takayasu’s arteritis undergoing emergency caesarean section. We present a case of the successful management of a parturient with Takayasu’s arteritis, who underwent an emergency caesarean section under low-dose spinal anaesthesia.

Keywords: cerebral blood flow, invasive blood pressure, lower segment caesarean section, subarachnoid block, Takayasu’s arteritis
Singapore Med J 2010; 51(6): e111-e113