Who needs an epidural blood patch?
Small openings of the spinal meninges can occur during liquor punctures or spinal anaesthesia. Normally, these openings close up automatically very quickly. In some patients, however, these remain open for a few days or sometimes even longer and severe headaches develop.
These headaches are usually stronger when standing than when lying down. The blood patch should close the so-called liquor leak and the pain should subside. In the process, some blood is taken from the patient and applied to the open areas so that they scar and the openings close. This procedure only takes place if the cerebrospinal fluid leak does not close automatically.
Can headaches be permanent?
Headaches usually subside after a few days after spinal anaesthesia. In rare cases, however, the pain may remain for a longer period of time. Some patients report headaches that persist for more than a year. In patients with persistent headaches, a blood patch can be applied or a surgical repair of the liquor leakage can be performed, which in most cases ends the headache.
Can nerve root irritation occur?
Nerve root irritation describes an irritation of the first parts of the nerves that emerge from the spinal cord. This can manifest itself in different ways.Some sufferers have pain, others report numbness in their legs or sensations of discomfort. The irritation can have various causes.
Spinal anaesthesia involves inserting a cannula between the vertebral bodies up to the spinal cord. This can cause nerve damage, although this is very rare because the spinal cord is no longer affected in the spinal canal section. After the spinal anesthesia, bruising may also form in the spinal canal.
This can exert pressure on the nerve roots and thus also lead to paralysis, pain or numbness. These symptoms are very similar to a slipped disc. The site of numbness and pain is often not in the back itself, but in the body area for which the nerve root is responsible.
For example, spinal anesthesia can cause numbness in the legs in the lumbar region. In most cases, the symptoms subside with the bruising.
