Retrograde Surgical Placement of a Thoracic Epidural Catheter in a Patient Undergoing Combined Thoracic and Spinal Surgery

Epidural anesthetic techniques for postoperative analgesia are rarely considered in spinal surgery, and high thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) is considered medically risky. We present a successful case of surgical retrograde placement of a thoracic (T6-T7) epidural catheter under direct surgical visualization via T2 laminectomy in a patient who underwent combined thoracotomy and spinal surgery. TEA was confirmed by epidurogram, provided adequate postoperative pain relief, and the patient was discharged home three days post-surgery.