title: Bilateral subdural hematomas following routine lumbar diskectomy.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Burkhard
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Duff
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006408:Hematoma, Subdural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D019585:Intracranial Hypotension / Q000209:etiology; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000601:surgery; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed