Association between postpartum neurological complications and epidural analgesia in labor

As one of the most effective and commonly used analgesic methods during labor and delivery, epidural analgesia has been widely accepted in terms of its safety. Neurological complications following childbirth, which are most related to pregnancy and childbirth factors rather than labor analgesia, has not been well studied or recognized in China. Therefore, there are some confusions and misunderstandings of reasons for these neurological complications, and, to a certain extent, have affected the clinical implementation of epidural labor analgesia. This review analyzed the etiology and prognosis of this problem in order to help the clinicians in identifying the risk factors and causes and also to improve clinical awareness, prevention, and management for these conditions. Key words: Analgesia, epidural; Analgesia, obstetrical; Obstetric labor complications; Peripheral nerve injuries