Neurologic complications of anesthesia

Neurologic complications of anesthesia: A practical approach

Neurologic complications related to anesthesia are infrequent but can be serious. Neurologists are often consulted to evaluate patients with postoperative symptoms and must be ready to discriminate those truly caused by the anesthetic drug or procedure from the more common postoperative complications that are unrelated to the anesthesia itself. This practical review relies on cases to illustrate common reasons for neurologic consultation in the postsurgical setting. It also briefly summarizes what to expect when patients with central or peripheral neurologic disease undergo surgery under general or regional anesthesia.