Iatrogenic paraplegia caused by surgicel used for hemostasis during a thoracotomy: report of a case.

A 46-year-old Japanese woman underwent a right lower lobectomy through a posterolateral incision made in the fifth intercostal space under general and epidural anesthesia on January 23, 1995. During the procedure, oxidized regenerated cellulose (Surgicel) was used to prevent postoperative rebleeding from the dorsal branch of the fifth intercostal artery. The following day it became evident that complete paraplegia had developed below the Th5 level, the cause of which was revealed by an emergency laminectomy, performed within 20 h after the thoracotomy, to be the Surgical treatment. By 50 days after the operation the patient had begun to show improvement, and was able to move her lower extremities against gravity. Her condition is continuing to improve.