Chronic intracranial subdural hematoma after spinal anesthesia for a cesarean section: a case report
Delayehu Bekele1, Mehari Bayable2, Alemayehu Bedane3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, P.O.Box 143079, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. delayehu@gmail.com.
Background:
Subdural hematoma is a rare, potentially devastating, yet curable complication of spinal anesthesia. Differentiation between post-dural puncture headache and subdural hematoma can be difficult, resulting in a delay in diagnosis.
Case Presentation:
We present a 28-year-old Ethiopian female patient who underwent elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia and returned to the emergency department after 1 month with a worsening headache. Brain computed tomography revealed a chronic subdural hematoma with a significant midline shift. The patient recovered completely after surgical evacuation.
Conclusions:
A high index of suspicion and close attention to the pattern and characteristics of the headache, coupled with a meticulous neurologic examination and neuroimaging, can help to achieve timely diagnosis of this serious entity. Investigation with head computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is vital.
