Spinal anaesthesia for a caesarean section in a patient with paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia

Abstract

Paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia (PCA) is most frequently observed in gynaecological cancers, small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, cancer testis or malignant thymoma. In the literature, there is no data related to the effects of PCA during pregnancy or reports on the effects of anaesthesia in patients with PCA. We present management of a pregnant woman with PCA who was suddenly unable to walk with PCA and for whom effective spinal anaesthesia was performed for an elective caesarean section with no complications.

Keywords

• Paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia
• caesarean section
• spinal anaesthesia