You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Case Report
Headache from Intracranial Air after a Lumbar Epidural Injection:: Subarachnoid or Subdural?
  1. Quinn H. Hogan, M.D.* and
  2. David J. Haddox, D.S.S., M.D.**
  1. *From the Departments of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and
  2. **Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
  1. Address reprint requests to Quinn H. Hogan, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology, Milwaukee County Medical Complex. 8700 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53226.

Abstract

Background and methods. There is a growing awareness of the possibility of headache resulting from intracranial air secondary to identification of the epidural space by loss of resistance using air (LOR-A). Most reported cases have been attributed to subarachnoid air passage. A case is described of sudden headache following LOR-A.

Results. Various features of the case suggest that the passage of air to the head was subdural rather than subarachnoid.

Conclusions. Recovery was uneventful.

  • Complications
  • epidural anesthesia
  • headache
  • subdural space.

https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-00115550-199217050-00011

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    Footnotes

    • The authors thank Victor Haughton, M.D., Roy Strand, M.D., Juan Taveras, M.D., and Alan Williams, M.D. for evaluation of the x-ray images.