Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Puerperal seizures after post-dural puncture headache

V E Shearer1, H S Jhaveri, F G Cunningham

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Obstetrics and Gynecology
|February 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Postpartum seizures can occur after spinal headaches, potentially caused by cerebral vasoconstriction. This condition, linked to post-dural puncture headache, may also cause visual disturbances and cranial nerve palsies.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Diabetic ketoacidosis complicating pregnancy.

Journal of neonatal-perinatal medicine·2017
Same author

Magnesium sulphate: too much of a good thing?

BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology·2015
Same author

Avoiding the eclamptic convulsion.

BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology·2014
Same author

Subclinical hypothyroidism.

The New England journal of medicine·2001
Same author

A randomized trial of labor analgesia in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension.

American journal of obstetrics and gynecology·2001
Same author

Maternal age and malformations in singleton births.

Obstetrics and gynecology·2000

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Obstetrics
  • Anesthesiology

Background:

  • Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a known complication following spinal anesthesia.
  • Seizures are an uncommon but serious neurological event that can occur postpartum.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report on a series of postpartum women who experienced seizures secondary to post-dural puncture headache.
  • To investigate the potential mechanism linking PDPH to seizures.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective case series analysis of over 19,000 women receiving subarachnoid analgesia between 1982-1991.
  • Clinical observation and diagnostic evaluation of eight women who developed seizures post-spinal anesthesia.

Main Results:

  • Eight postpartum women developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures 2-7 days after PDPH.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Associated symptoms included visual disturbances, progressing to cortical blindness in three cases.
  • Cerebral artery vasospasm or reduced regional blood flow was identified in three evaluated patients.

    • Conclusions:

    • Cerebral vasoconstriction is proposed as the underlying mechanism for PDPH-associated seizures.
    • Anatomic brain displacement may trigger this vasospasm.
    • This mechanism could also explain cranial nerve palsies observed after dural puncture.