Acute Horner syndrome due to thoracic epidural analgesia in a paediatric patient

Abstract

A 4-year-old boy with coarctation of the aorta underwent surgical aortic arch repair with general anaesthesia and thoracic epidural analgesia. In the immediate postoperative period, the child developed a unilateral Horner syndrome which appeared to be related to the epidural infusion rate. Management of this patient as well as alternate aetiologies of Horner syndrome are described. Horner syndrome is a rare complication of epidural catheters and is often unrecognized, especially in children.