Treatment of Postdural Puncture Headaches with Colloid Solutions: An Alternative to Epidural Blood Patch

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Subdural Collection in a Comatose Patient: Do Not Forget Intracranial Hypotension. A Case Report

BACKGROUND

The typical sign of intracranial hypotension (IH) is postural headache. However, IH can be associated with a large diversity of clinical or radiological signs leading to difficult diagnosis especially in case of coma. The association of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and subdural hemorrhage is rare but should suggest the diagnosis of IH.

METHODS

Case report.

CASE DESCRIPTION

We report here a case of comatose patient due to spontaneous IH complicated by CVT and subdural hemorrhage. The correct diagnosis was delayed due to many confounding factors. IH was suspected after subdural hemorrhage recurrence and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). After 2 epidural patches with colloid, favorable outcome was observed.

DISCUSSION

The most common presentation of IH is postural orthostatic headaches. In the present case report, the major clinical signs were worsening of consciousness and coma, which are a rare presentation. Diagnosis of IH is based on the association of clinical history, evocative symptomatology, and cerebral imaging. CVT occurs in 1-2% of IH cases and the association between IH, CVT, and subdural hemorrhage is rare. MRI is probably the key imaging examination. In the present case, epidural patch was performed after confounding factors for coma had been treated. Benefit of anticoagulation had to be balanced in this case with potential hemorrhagic complications, especially within the brain.

CONCLUSION

Association of CVT and subdural hemorrhage should lead to suspect IH. Brain imaging can help and find specific signs of IH.

Neurotoxicity of intrathecal 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 injection in a rat model

Epidural blood patch is the gold standard treatment for post-dural puncture headache, although hydroxyethyl starch may be a useful alternative to blood if the latter is contraindicated. The aim of this experimental study was to assess whether hydroxyethyl starch given via an indwelling intrathecal catheter resulted in clinical or histopathological changes suggestive of neurotoxicity. The study was conducted in rats that were randomly allocated to receive three 10-μl injections on consecutive days of either saline or hydroxyethyl starch administered via the intrathecal catheter. Eight rats were given injections of saline 0.9% and 11 were given 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 derived from thin boiling waxy corn starch in 0.9% sodium chloride (Voluven). Daily clinical evaluation, activity measured by actimetry and neuropathological analysis of the spinal cord were subsequently performed to assess for signs of neurotoxicity. No clinical or actimetric changes were observed in either group following intrathecal saline or hydroxyethyl starch administration. Histopathological examination showed non-specific changes with no differences between the two groups. This experimental study in the rat suggests that repeated intrathecal injection of hydroxyethyl starch is not associated with neurotoxicity.

Post-dural puncture headache: the worst common complication in obstetric anesthesia

Ever since the first spinal anesthetic in the late 19th century, the problem of "spinal headache" or post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) has plagued clinicians, and more importantly, patients. It has long been realized that the headache and other symptoms that often occur after the entry of a needle into the subarachnoid space is somehow related to fluid loss, although the exact pathophysiology of the headache has really never been defined. With the introduction of pencil-point spinal needles for spinal anesthesia in pregnant women over the past 2 decades, the problem of PDPH in obstetrics has been more associated with accidental dural puncture during attempted epidural procedures. Accidental puncture probably occurs in about 1% of procedures, so with over 60% of pregnant women receiving epidural analgesia for labor, there are probably 20,000-50,000 obstetric patients with PDPH in the United States each year. In this article, we will discuss the current state of knowledge in this area, suggesting that the PDPH syndrome is more severe and often more long-lasting, with some potentially life-threatening complications (cerebral hemorrhage) than usually appreciated or admitted. While prevention and treatment options are still limited, with the only clearly effective treatment being the epidural blood patch, recognition of the PDPH syndrome in postpartum women by anesthesiologists and obstetricians, with aggressive follow-up and treatment, may help limit the associated morbidity and mortality.

[Chronic pain and regional anesthesia in children]

Chronic pain is usually underestimated in children, due to lack of knowledge and its specific signs. In addition to suffering, chronic pain causes a physical, psychological, emotional, social, and financial burden for the child and his family. Practitioners may find themselves in a situation of failure with depletion of medical resources. Some types of chronic pain are refractory to conventional systemic treatment and may require the use of regional anesthesia. Cancer pain is common in children and its medical management is sometimes insufficient. It is accessible to neuroaxial or peripheral techniques of regional anesthesia if it is limited to an area accessible to one of these techniques and no contraindications (e.g., thrombopenia) are present. Complex regional pain syndrome 1 is not rare in children and adolescents, but it often goes undiagnosed. Regional anesthesia may contribute to the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome 1, mainly in case of recurrence, because it provides rapid effective analgesia and allows rapid implementation of intensive physiotherapy. These techniques have also shown interest in phantom limb pain after limb amputation, but they remain controversial for erythromelalgia pain or chronic abdominopelvic pain. Finally, the treatment of postdural puncture headache due to cerebrospinal fluid leak can be treated by performing an epidural injection of the patient's blood, called a blood-patch. Finally, the management of children with chronic pain should be multidisciplinary (pediatrician, physiotherapist, psychologist, surgeon, anesthesiologist) to support the child and her problem in its entirety.

[Post-dural puncture headache and blood-patch: theoretical and practical approach]

OBJECTIVE

To review the current research and formulate a rational approach to the physiopathology, cause and treatment of post-dural puncture headache (PDPH).

DATA SOURCES

Articles published to December 2011 were obtained through a search of Medline for the MeSh terms "epidural blood-patch" and "post-dural puncture headache".

STUDY SELECTION

Six hundred and eighty-two pertinent studies were included and 200 were analysed.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Resulting of a dural tap after spinal anaesthesia or diagnostic lumbar puncture or as a complication of epidural anaesthesia, PDPH occurs when an excessive leak of cerebrospinal fluid leads to intracranial hypotension associated to a resultant cerebral vasodilatation. Reduction in cerebrospinal fluid volume in upright position may cause traction of the intracranial structure and stretching of vessels. Typically postural, headache may be associated to nausea, photophobia, tinnitus or arm pain and changes in hearing acuity. In severe cases, there may be cranial nerve dysfunction and nerve palsies secondary to traction on those nerves. The Epidural Blood-Patch (EBP) is considered as the "gold standard" in the treatment of PDHP because it induces a prolonged elevation of subarachnoid and epidural pressures, whereas such elevation is transient with saline or dextran. EBP should be performed within 24-48hours of onset of headache; the optimum volume of epidural blood appears to be 15-20mL. Severe complications following EBP are exceptional. The use of echography may be safety puncture. The optimum timing of epidural blood-patch, the resort of repeating procedure if the symptomatology does not disappear, the alternative to the conventional medical treatment need to be determined by future clinical trial.

Epidural dextran-40 and paramethasone injection for treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension

PURPOSE

This report describes treatment with epidural dextran-40 and paramethasone injection of postural headache resulting from spontaneous intracranial hypotension in a pregnant patient.

CLINICAL FEATURES

A 39-yr-old pregnant woman consulted the pain clinic for the assessment of a debilitating postural headache which was non-responsive to conventional analgesic treatment. Clinical findings and cranial magnetic resonance imaging indicated the diagnosis of spontaneous intracranial hypotension syndrome. Treatment with an epidural blood patch was not undertaken for several reasons. A lumbar epidural injection with dextran-40 and paramethasone led to a significant improvement in the symptoms and allowed a progressive discontinuation of adjuvant treatment with oral steroids, with complete resolution of symptoms.

CONCLUSION

We report a case of spontaneous intracranial hypotension in a pregnant patient successfully treated by epidural injection of dextran-40 and paramethasone, with adjuvant oral steroid therapy. Clinical trials are warranted to establish the efficacy of this treatment as an alternative to the epidural blood patch administration.

Post-dural puncture headache: pathogenesis, prevention and treatment

Spinal anaesthesia developed in the late 1800s with the work of Wynter, Quincke and Corning. However, it was the German surgeon, Karl August Bier in 1898, who probably gave the first spinal anaesthetic. Bier also gained first-hand experience of the disabling headache related to dural puncture. He correctly surmised that the headache was related to excessive loss of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In the last 50 yr, the development of fine-gauge spinal needles and needle tip modification, has enabled a significant reduction in the incidence of post-dural puncture headache. Though it is clear that reducing the size of the dural perforation reduces the loss of CSF, there are many areas regarding the pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of post-dural puncture headache that remain contentious. How does the microscopic pattern of collagen alignment in the spinal dura affect the dimensions of the dural perforation? How do needle design, size and orientation influence leakage of CSF through the dural perforation? Can pharmacological methods reduce the symptoms of post-dural puncture headache? By which mechanism does the epidural blood patch cure headache? Is there a role for the prophylactic epidural blood patch? Do epidural saline, dextran, opioids and tissue glues reduce the rate of CSF loss? This review considers these contentious aspects of post-dural puncture headache.

Postdural puncture headache in a parturient with sickle cell disease: use of an epidural colloid patch

PURPOSE

To report the injection of a colloid in the epidural space as an alternative to an epidural blood patch in a woman with sickle cell disease.

CLINICAL FEATURES

A Cesarean delivery was performed under spinal anesthesia in a 32-yr-old woman with severe sickle cell disease and a past medical history of vaso-occlusive crisis. In the postoperative period, the patient complained of postdural puncture headache resistant to symptomatic treatment. Because there were no data concerning the safety of a blood patch in this condition, a colloid (a modified fluid gelatin heated to 37 degrees C) was injected in the epidural space instead of blood. Headaches decreased immediately after the epidural injection of the colloid and disappeared totally within 12 hr.

CONCLUSION

Data concerning the safety of epidural blood patches in patients with sickle cell disease are lacking. Injection of colloids in the epidural space could be an alternative.