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Bilateral Subdural Hematomas Following Routine Lumbar Diskectomy
Author(s) -
Burkhard Pierre R.,
Duff John M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1046/j.1526-4610.2000.00072.x
Subject(s) - medicine , intracranial hypotension , lumbar , subdural hematomas , anesthesia , surgery , lumbar puncture , diskectomy , cerebrospinal fluid , subdural hemorrhage , lumbar vertebrae , hematoma , pathology
Intracranial hypotension is a rare, and possibly underrecognized, cause of headache in middle age. Occurring spontaneously in the vast majority of cases, it has been occasionally reported after certain neurosurgical procedures involving craniectomy. We report a unique situation in which a patient developed severe postural headache typical of intracranial hypotension, which was complicated by bilateral subdural hematomas, immediately following a routine lumbar diskectomy; the headache resolved spontaneously. We suggest that an intraoperative microscopic dural breach was the site of sustained, but self‐limited, cerebrospinal fluid leakage that eventually led to intracranial hypotension.