Abstract
Epidural anesthetic techniques for postoperative analgesia are rarely considered in spinal surgery, and high thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) is considered medically risky. We present a successful case of surgical retrograde placement of a thoracic (T6-T7) epidural catheter under direct surgical visualization via T2 laminectomy in a patient who underwent combined thoracotomy and spinal surgery. TEA was confirmed by epidurogram, provided adequate postoperative pain relief, and the patient was discharged home three days post-surgery.