Use of a Triple Prophylactic Strategy to Prevent Post-dural Puncture Headache: An Observational Study

Treatment and Prevention of Post-dural Puncture Headaches: A Systematic Review

Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is occasionally an inevitable side effect of neuraxial anesthesia, which can happen after spinal anesthesia or if an accidental dural puncture (ADP) happens during epidural anesthesia. The treatment and prevention options for PDPH differ widely from one institution to another. The management of PDPH is heterogeneous in many institutions because of the absence of clear guidelines and protocols for the management of PDPH. This study aimed to summarize all articles published during the past decade that discussed the treatment or prevention of PDPH. From 2013 to 2023, 345 publications were filtered for all treatment and prevention approaches used for PDPH patients. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines were followed for conducting this systematic review, and 38 articles were included for analysis and review. Existing data come from small randomized clinical trials and retrospective or prospective cohort studies. This review supports the effect of oral pregabalin and intravenous aminophylline in both treatment and prevention. Intravenous mannitol, intravenous hydrocortisone, triple prophylactic regimen, and neostigmine plus atropine combination showed effective and beneficial outcomes. On the other hand, neither neuraxial morphine nor epidural dexamethasone showed promising results. Consequently, the use of neuraxial morphine or epidural dexamethasone for the prevention of PDPH remains questionable. Regarding the posture of the patient and its consequences on the incidence of the headache, lateral decubitus is better than a sitting position, and a prone position is better than a supine position. Smaller non-cutting needles play a role in avoiding PDPH. Minimally invasive nerve blocks, including sphenopalatine ganglion or greater occipital nerves, are satisfyingly effective. Epidural blood patches remain the more invasive but the gold standard and ultimate solution in patients resisting medical therapy. This study highlights the need for larger research to define the best approach to prevent and treat PDPH.

Evaluation of the Preventive Effects of Neostigmine Plus Atropine on Post-Dural Puncture Headache

Background

Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is one of the most common side effects of spinal anesthesia. Several strategies and drugs have been suggested for the treatment and/or prevention of this headache. The aim of this study is evaluating the effects of intravenous prescription of neostigmine plus atropine 15 minutes after dural puncture on incidence and severity of PDPH during 5 days of follow-up in the setting of lower limb orthopedic surgeries.

Materials and Methods

In a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial, 99 patients of lower limb orthopedic surgeries were randomized into study (49 patients) and control groups (50 patients). Fifteen minutes after dural puncture, participants in the two groups intravenously took neostigmine (40 μg/kg) plus atropine (20 μg/kg) and placebo (normal saline), respectively. Side effects of the studied drugs and incidence, severity, and duration of PDPH were evaluated 5 days after surgery.

Results

A total of 20 patients in the study group and 31 in the control group showed a headache-with-PDPH profile during 5 days of follow-up (P-value = 0.035). The mean duration of PDPH was 1.15 ± 0.48 and 1.32 ± 0.54 days in the study and control groups, respectively (P-value = 0.254).

Conclusion

Preventive administration of 40 μg/kg neostigmine plus 20 μg/kg of atropine may be effective in reducing the incidence and severity of PDPH after spinal anesthesia in lower limb orthopedic surgeries.

Successful Treatment of Post-dural Puncture Headache with Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block in Post-cesarean Section Patient: A Case Report

BACKGROUND: Post-dural puncture headache is a symptom often found in post-operative patients who receive spinal anesthesia. Therefore, therapy to reduce patient complaints becomes a comparison to find the best alternative for action. This case discusses post-dural puncture headache risk factors in post-cesarean section patients and sphenopalatine ganglion block as an alternative pain intervention. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient is a 26-year-old woman, G1P0A0, 80 kg, who presented for the first cesarean delivery at 37 weeks of gestational age due to concern for breech presentation. The patient was put into a sitting posture before the spinal anesthetic was administered. She was offered spinal-epidural anesthesia using a Quincke type 26 G spinal needle. The patient was successfully given one shot of spinal anesthesia using the paramedian approach technique. The medication of 1 g paracetamol was given at 8 h intervals as post-operative analgesia. On post-operative day 2, the patient was consulted by the anesthesiologist, and the patient reported an 8/10 severity positional headache on the numerical rating scale. Intranasal SPGB has been performed on the patient with lidocaine spray 20 mg. The patient’s headache reduced from an NRS of 8/10 to a 6/10 after 5 min of sphenopalatine ganglion block. Twenty-four hours after the procedure, the patient can sit up, lower the neck tension and headache, and resume activities independently. The patient was released the next day with a manageable headache. In 48 h post-block, the patient was called and inquired about PDPH and almost no headache with various positions. CONCLUSION: SPG block can be a minimally invasive treatment for PDPH. The faster PDPH is treated using an SPG block, the better the patient’s pain scale outcome. Several studies have shown that patients who received SPG block therapy did not continue to get EBP.