Long-term backache after extradural or general anaesthesia for manual removal of placenta: preliminary report.

A questionnaire designed to investigate the incidence of newly acquired, long-term backache was sent to women who had previously undergone manual removal of the placenta during a 12-month period in one maternity hospital. There was a significantly greater incidence of long-term backache in patients who had extradural anaesthesia specifically for manual removal of the placenta compared with patients receiving a general anaesthetic for the same procedure. The results of this retrospective study in a small population warrant examination in a large, prospective, controlled investigation.