Dr. Banik Co-Authors Paper on Patient’s Recovery from Quadriplegia After Interlaminar Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection

Ratan Banik, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School Department of Anesthesiology and Professor Clark Chen, MD, PhD in the Department of Neurosurgery co-authored the paper titled “Spinal Hematoma After Interlaminar Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection” in Anesthesiology.

Drs. Banik and Chen write about the incredible story of an 80-year-old patient who experienced a spinal epidural hematoma after receiving  an interlaminar cervical epidural steroid injection. The patient’s hematoma quickly led to neck pain, loss of reflexes, numbness and quadriplegia. Through early detection and effective intervention within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms, the team evacuated the patient’s hematoma and she was able to make a full recovery.

“Due to the diligence of our OR team, the patient’s neurological function was quickly restored. Any delay or mismanagement of treatment could have compromised the likelihood of a meaningful recovery,” said Dr. Banik.

Read the full paper.