Lumbar puncture associated with pneumocephalus: report of a case.
Pneumocephalus is a well known complication of spinal and epidural anesthesia, but it is extremely rare after diagnostic or therapeutic lumbar puncture. This uncommonness can obscure the clinical diagnosis and lead to unnecessary procedures and prolonged patient discomfort. We report a 72-yr-old woman with normal pressure hydrocephalus who underwent an unremarkable lumbar puncture that was complicated by a postprocedure pneumocephalus that manifested as a continuous headache. The pneumocephalus resolved spontaneously after 4 days. Possible mechanisms for this occurrence, along with steps that can be taken to prevent this complication, are discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
We report a case of symptomatic pneumocephalus in a woman with normal pressure hydrocephalus after an unremarkable lumbar puncture. The possible mechanisms for this occurrence, along with steps that can be taken to prevent this complication, are discussed.
Kozikowski
Grzegorz P
GP
Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Management Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York.
Cohen
Steven P
SP
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006850:Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure / Q000150:complications; D011007:Pneumocephalus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed