Postdural Puncture Headache in the Obstetric Population: A New Approach

Abstract

(Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2020;45:373–376) Compared with the general population, obstetric patients are at a higher risk of postdural puncture headache (PDPH), a headache caused by low cerebrospinal fluid pressure occurring within 5 days of a confirmed or presumed dural puncture. PDPH, among other things, can delay discharge and affect care of the newborn. One emerging method of treating cerebrospinal fluid is peripheral nerve blocks (PNB), including sphenopalatine ganglion block, greater occipital nerve block, and trigger point infiltration. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of this approach, to identify factors associated with the need for epidural blood patch (EBP) and to describe the effect of treatment on discharge delay related to PDPH.