Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, and headache is reported in 6.5% to 34% of all cases. There is little published evidence on the pharmacological treatment of COVID-19 headache. This case series presents six COVID-19 infected patients with refractory headache, in which intranasal bedside Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block was performed for analgesia. All patients had a reduction in headache intensity from severe pain to mild or no pain after the procedure with minor transient side effects. Proposed mechanisms of action include reduction of local autonomic stimuli, intracranial vasoconstriction, and reduction of vasoactive substances release in the pterygopalatine fossa.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Post-dural puncture headache is a common complication in neuraxial anesthesia and lumbar puncture diagnostic procedures. The pathogenesis of the headache is thought to be due to a leak of cerebrospinal fluid from the puncture site that exceeds the rate of cerebrospinal fluid production, causing a downward traction of the meninges and vasodilation of the meningeal vessels mediated by the autonomous nervous system. Nowadays, the conservative treatment involves hydration, and the use of caffeine, analgesics, hydrocortisone, gabapentin, and theophylline. However, an autologous epidural blood patch is considered the definitive treatment for post-dural puncture headache and has an efficacy of up to 75%. Since this procedure comes with intrinsic risks, an alternative is the sphenopalatine ganglion block. CASE REPORT: We describe a case report using a sphenopalatine ganglion block to treat post-dural puncture headache in a patient submitted to cerebrospinal fluid pressure monitoring with a subarachnoidal catheter inserted with a low-gauge needle. CONCLUSION: This is the first case report of a post-dural puncture headache caused by a subarachnoid monitoring catheter successfully treated with sphenopalatine ganglion block. This technique can be a non-invasive option in the management of post-dural puncture headache, which requires more study to evaluate its efficacy and safety.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.