51 Scopus citations

Abstract

This 48-year old hypertensive man, a cigarette smoker, awoke in tile recovery room with visual loss in the right eye after uncomplicated lumbar spine surgery. His intraoperative blood pressure had been maintained at relatively low levels to reduce bleeding; a loss of 1500 cc of blood was reported. Postoperative hemoglobin was 4.2 g/dl less than the preoperative hemoglobin; however, the patient did not receive a blood transfusion. A postoperative ophthalmological examination revealed decreased visual acuity, color vision, and visual field in the right eye. The right optic nerve and retina were initially normal but the patient eventually developed optic nerve atrophy consistent with the clinical diagnosis of ischemic optic neuropathy. Neurosurgeons should be aware that this condition may follow uncomplicated lumbar spine surgery and should obtain prompt ophthalmological consultation when patients develop postoperative visual loss. Aggressive and rapid correction of blood pressure and hematocrit may be helpful in individuals who develop ischemic optic neuropathy after lumbar spine surgery.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)348-349
Number of pages2
JournalJournal of Neurosurgery
Volume83
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1995

Keywords

  • blood pressure
  • blood transfusion
  • ischemic optic neuropathy
  • lumbar spine surgery

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology
  • Neuroscience(all)

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