Several neurological disorders including multiple
sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, epilepsy, spinal cord
injury, and subarachnoid hemorrhage are encountered
with increasing frequency in pregnant women worldwide.
Although there is absence of uniform anesthetic
guidelines for pregnant patients with most of these (and
other) neurological disorders, and the decision whether
or not to administer regional anesthesia is based on an
individual risk-to-benefit ratio on a case-by-case basis,
few of these disorders contraindicate the use of neuraxial
anesthesia. This article attempts to review the specific
concerns for administration of labor analgesia posed by
multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, epilepsy, paraplegia
and subarachnoid hemorrhage.