The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Review Case Reports
Quadriparesis following cervical epidural steroid injections: case report and review of the literature.
Cervical epidural steroid injections are frequently used in the conservative management of neck pain, cervical radiculitis, and cervical radiculopathy. Between 64-76% of patients who receive injections report subjective pain improvement. Injections are usually well-tolerated with only mild, transient side effects, although a few case reports of patients with adverse effects do appear in the literature. Some clinicians have expressed concerns about epidural injections above the C7-T1 level, and in the use of methylprednisolone epidurally; as yet, neither is a consensus viewpoint. ⋯ Although evidence is not conclusive, this patient may have suffered a vascular event from a cervical epidural injection.