[Pneumocephalus after spinal anesthesia].
We report the case of a 76-year-old man who received a spinal anaesthesia for inguinal hernia repair surgery. A cranial CT scan which was performed because the patient complained of postoperative headache and hemiparesis showed an important pneumocephalus. Because postoperative questioning revealed that the patient had a chronic and neglected rhinorrhea, we hypothesise that this pneumocephalus was secondary to an old unknown osteodural leak with intracranial air entry secondary to the spinal anaesthesia-releated decrease in CSF pressure.
Dépret
T
T
Département d'anesthésie-réanimation chirurgicale I, hôpital R. Salengro, CHRU, 59037 Lille, France.
Le Falher
G
G
Delecroix
M
M
Brasdefer
D
D
Krivosic-Horber
R
R
D000368:Aged; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011007:Pneumocephalus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed