TY - JOUR
T1 - Lumbar Puncture Associated with Pneumocephalus
T2 - Report of a Case
AU - Kozikowski, Grzegorz P.
AU - Cohen, Steven P.
PY - 2004/2
Y1 - 2004/2
N2 - Pneumocephalus is a well known complication of spiral and epidural anesthesia, but it is extremely rare after diagnostic or therapeutic lumbar puncture. This uncommonness can obscure the clinical diagnosis and lead to unnecessary procedures and prolonged patient discomfort. We report a 72-yr-old woman with normal pressure hydrocephalus who underwent an unremarkable lumbar puncture that was complicated by a postprocedure pneumocephalus that manifested as a continuous headache. The pneumocephalus resolved spontaneously after 4 days. Possible mechanisms for this occurrence, along with steps that can be taken to prevent this complication, are discussed.
AB - Pneumocephalus is a well known complication of spiral and epidural anesthesia, but it is extremely rare after diagnostic or therapeutic lumbar puncture. This uncommonness can obscure the clinical diagnosis and lead to unnecessary procedures and prolonged patient discomfort. We report a 72-yr-old woman with normal pressure hydrocephalus who underwent an unremarkable lumbar puncture that was complicated by a postprocedure pneumocephalus that manifested as a continuous headache. The pneumocephalus resolved spontaneously after 4 days. Possible mechanisms for this occurrence, along with steps that can be taken to prevent this complication, are discussed.
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U2 - 10.1213/01.ANE.0000095153.75625.1F
DO - 10.1213/01.ANE.0000095153.75625.1F
M3 - Article
C2 - 14742399
AN - SCOPUS:1642500927
VL - 98
SP - 524
EP - 526
JO - Anesthesia and Analgesia
JF - Anesthesia and Analgesia
SN - 0003-2999
IS - 2
ER -