[Diagnosis of intracranial hypotension syndrome by a bolus or continuous epidural injection of normal saline solution].

Abstract

A 75-year-old man had neck sprain by traffic accident. He had headache but not orthostatic at first. He also had dysesthesia and pain of upper limbs, neck pain, and nausea. His symptoms vanished immediately after 10 ml bolus thoracic epidural injection of normal saline for about one hour. Succeeding continuous epidural injection of normal saline (10 ml x h(-1)) made him symptom free until stopping injection. If headache of a patient vanished after epidural normal saline injection, a diagnosis of intracranial hypotension syndrome can be made. This patient became pain free after one trial of cervical epidural blood patch of 12 ml. Quantity of blood to be injected into the cervical epidural space can be decided by flood of injected blood from thoracic epidural vent tapped in advance.

• Authors: Takayuki Tsubaki, Yumiko Matsuo, Tadanori Terada, Yasunori Haranishi, Takeyoshi Sata
• Journal: Masui. The Japanese journal of anesthesiology (Masui) Vol. 55 Issue 10 Pg. 1266-9 (Oct 2006) ISSN: 0021-4892 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 17051992 (Publication Type: Case Reports, English Abstract, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Sodium Chloride

Topics

• Aged
• Blood Patch, Epidural
• Humans
• Injections, Epidural
• Intracranial Hypotension (diagnosis, therapy)
• Male
• Sodium Chloride (administration & dosage)
• Treatment Outcome