The use of epidural injection of local anesthetics with steroid for the treatment of back pain and sciatica is a widely used procedure. There have been several reports about spinal cord compression by granuloma or fibrous mass related to intrathecal or epidural morphine injection. There have been also some reports about arachnoiditis after epidural injection of steroid. However, there have been no reports regarding dural sac or nerve root compression by fibrous mass after epidural steroid injections. We would report a case of dural sac and nerve root compression secondary to the formation of fibrous mass in the lumbar epidural space after epidural steroid and local anesthetic injections. In this case, the characteristic radiologic findings before and after epidural injection therapy and clinical progress were documented.
Anesthetics, Local ; Arachnoid ; Arachnoiditis ; Back Pain ; Epidural Space ; Granuloma ; Injections, Epidural ; Morphine ; Radiculopathy ; Sciatica ; Spinal Cord Compression

The trials to detect the cerebral ischemia during the brain surgery have been continued since last three decades. The intraoperative Xenon isotope cerebral blood flow(CBF) measurement and EEG monitoring were proven to be useful techniques for this purpose. But these techniques have several drawbacks and are not easily applicable in most institutions. Authors, therefore, developed a intraoperative cerebral ischemia monitoring system which applied the digital electroencephalography(EEG) and compressed spectral array(CSA) technique. Technical details of our system and the examples of clinical applications are described.
Brain ; Brain Ischemia* ; Electroencephalography ; Xenon