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. 2022 Aug;71(8):646-660.
doi: 10.1007/s00101-022-01171-2. Epub 2022 Jul 14.

[Postdural puncture headache in obstetrics : Pathogenesis, diagnostics and treatment]

[Article in German]
Affiliations

[Postdural puncture headache in obstetrics : Pathogenesis, diagnostics and treatment]

[Article in German]
Benedikt Hermann Siegler et al. Anaesthesiologie. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is one of the most important complications of peripartum neuraxial analgesia. Loss of cerebrospinal fluid volume and pressure as well as compensatory intracranial vasodilation are assumed to be responsible. Potentially severe long-term sequelae necessitate the correct diagnosis of PDPH, exclusion of relevant differential diagnoses (with atypical symptoms and when indicated via imaging techniques) and rapid initiation of effective treatment. Nonopioid analgesics, caffeine and occasionally theophylline, gabapentin and hydrocortisone are the cornerstones of pharmacological treatment, while the timely placement of an autologous epidural blood patch (EBP) represents the gold standard procedure when symptoms persist despite the use of analgesics. Procedures using neural treatment are promising alternatives, especially when an EBP is not desired by the patient or is contraindicated. Interdisciplinary and interprofessional consensus standard procedures can contribute to optimization of the clinical management of this relevant complication.

Der Postpunktionskopfschmerz („postdural puncture headache“, PDPH) zählt zu den wesentlichen Komplikationen der peripartalen neuroaxialen Analgesie. Als ursächlich gelten der Verlust von Liquorvolumen und -druck sowie die kompensatorisch auftretende intrakranielle Vasodilatation. Potenziell schwerwiegende Langzeitfolgen erfordern die korrekte PDPH-Diagnose, den Ausschluss relevanter Differenzialdiagnosen (ggf. mithilfe bildgebender Verfahren) und die rasche Einleitung einer effektiven Therapie. Nichtopioidanalgetika, Koffein sowie ggf. Theophyllin, Gabapentin und Hydrokortison bilden therapeutische Grundpfeiler; bei persistierenden Beschwerden ist die zeitnahe Anlage eines epiduralen Blut-Patch (EBP) der Goldstandard. Verfahren der Neuraltherapie stellen vielversprechende Alternativen dar, insbesondere wenn ein EBP nicht erwünscht oder kontraindiziert ist. Ein interdisziplinär und interprofessionell abgesprochenes Standardvorgehen kann zur Optimierung des klinischen Managements dieser relevanten Komplikation beitragen.

Keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid; Complications; Epidural blood patch; Neuraxial anesthesia; Pain.

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References

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