A Catastrophic Neurologic Complication Following Spinal Anaesthesia: Intracerebral Haematoma

Intracerebral haematoma following spinal anaesthesia is a very uncommon neurologic complication and the mechanism of intracerebral haematoma following dural puncture is not known. An 87-year-old man, who did not have any neurologic or coagulation disorder, received spinal anaesthesia for transurethral prostatectomy. Approximately 2.5 hours after spinal injection, he developed headache, slurred speech and somnolence, and brain CT revealed intracerebral haematoma. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and was intubated and connected to mechanical ventilator. The patient died on the 6 th postoperative day. It should be kept in mind that irreversible brain damage can develop in neurological disorders that develop soon after spinal anaesthesia and that these should be promptly evaluated radiologically.