[Rhabdomyolysis accompanying low back pain following prolonged urological surgery in the exaggerated lithotomy position: a case report].

A 69-year-old man (163 cm, 72 kg) with hypertension and lumbar spondylosis deformans was diagnosed as having prostate cancer and subsequently underwent perineal prostatectomy under sevoflurane anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia using mepivacaine in the exaggerated lithotomy position. Supplemental intravenous fentanyl was also given. The patient's systolic blood pressure ranged between 80 and 120 mmHg throughout the 255-minute procedure. On emergence from the anesthesia, the patient was free from pain and epidural infusion with 0.2% ropivacaine, fentanyl 2 microg x ml(-1) and droperidol 12.5 microg x ml(-1) at a rate of 5 ml x hr(-1) was started. Shortly thereafter, the patient began to complain of severe low back pain, which required intramuscular pentazocine injection as a rescue analgesic for 5 days postoperatively. On the 6th postoperative day, creatine kinase, which had apparently passed its peak, was 4,795 IU x l(-1). MRI on the 8th day demonstrated the presence of hemorrhage in the bilateral erector spinae muscles. On day 16, CT scan also confirmed partial necrotizing changes in the bilateral gluteal and erector spinae muscles. We believe that the low back pain was due to rhabdomyolysis secondary to ischemia of the lumbar and pelvic muscles resulting from lengthy compression during surgery. The recognition and early diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis following prolonged time in the exaggerated lithotomy position are the key to prevent potentially fatal sequelae.