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Post-dural-puncture headache (PDPH) is a complication of puncture of the dura mater (one of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord). [3] The headache is severe and described as "searing and spreading like hot metal", involving the back and front of the head and spreading to the neck and shoulders, sometimes involving neck stiffness.
Serious complications of a properly performed lumbar puncture are extremely rare. [4] They include spinal or epidural bleeding, adhesive arachnoiditis and trauma to the spinal cord [10] or spinal nerve roots resulting in weakness or loss of sensation, or even paraplegia. The latter is exceedingly rare, since the level at which the spinal cord ...
An epidural blood patch (EBP) is a surgical procedure that uses autologous blood, meaning the patient's own blood, in order to close one or many holes in the dura mater of the spinal cord, which occurred as a complication of a lumbar puncture or epidural placement. [1] [2] The punctured dura causes cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF leak). [1]
A spinal CSF leak can be caused by one or more meningeal diverticula or CSF-venous fistulas not associated with an epidural leak. [6] [7] [8] A spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak may occur sometimes in those with predisposing heritable connective tissue disorders including Marfan syndrome and Ehlers–Danlos syndromes.
Complications from the surgery can cause a loss of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which could cause severe headaches. This can be corrected by returning to the medical facility and having them perform a blood patch. In this procedure, a small amount of blood is taken from the arm and injected into the exact spinal tap location to stop the leaking ...
There are no specific signs or symptoms that can indicate meningitis, and a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to examine the cerebrospinal fluid is recommended for diagnosis. [47] Lumbar puncture is contraindicated if there is a mass in the brain (tumor or abscess) or the intracranial pressure (ICP) is elevated, as it may lead to brain herniation.
Fluoroscopic guidance decreases the risk for complications. The use of this procedure in humans was first described by Ayer in 1920. This is an exceedingly rare procedure. When CSF cannot be obtained from the lumbar space (and when its analysis is considered critical to treatment), a cisternal tap may be required.
After determining whether a patient shows signs of ventriculitis, the doctor may choose to pursue a more specific and useful diagnosis to find the cause of the ventriculitis. This is done by obtaining a sample of cerebrospinal fluid, most commonly via a procedure called a lumbar puncture or spinal tap. For patients with an implanted external ...