Prolonged impairment in activities of daily living due to postdural puncture headache after diagnostic lumbar puncture

Abstract

To assess the incidence of postdural puncture headache and its effects on patients' activities of daily living, we interviewed 325 adult patients subjected to a diagnostic lumbar puncture during a 1-year period. Two hundred and eighteen (67%) of the subjects replied to the questionnaire; 41 (19%) of these were diagnosed as having suffered a postdural puncture headache. Impairment of the activities of daily living persisting for 1 week or more was experienced by 16 (7%) of the subjects.