Intracranial Subdural Hematoma after Spinal Anesthesia: Report of Two Cases with different Outcomes

Spinal anesthesia is a technique commonly used for local anesthesia and in obstetric surgeries. Rarely, the formation of an intracranial subdural hematoma (SDH) may result from spinal anesthesia, constituting a serious condition that often leads to severe neurological deficits. The presentation and course of this pathology may occur in a completely different way, which makes its diagnosis and management difficult. In the present article, the authors report two cases of patients with intracranial SDH after spinal anesthesia with completely different presentations and outcomes, demonstrating the variability of the manifestations of this condition. A quick review of key points of its pathophysiology, symptomatology, diagnosis, and treatment was also performed.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension and its complications / Hipotensão intracraniana espontânea e complicações

ABSTRACT Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a syndrome that was unknown until the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is a cause of orthostatic headache, which remains underdiagnosed and, rarely, can result in several complications including dural venous sinus thrombosis, subdural hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Some of these complications are potentially life-threatening and should be recognized promptly, mainly by imaging studies. We reviewed the MRI of nine patients with SIH and describe the complications observed in three of these patients. Two of them had subdural hematoma and one had a dural venous sinus thrombosis detected by computed tomography and MRI. We concluded that MRI findings are of great importance in the diagnosis of SIH and its complications, which often influence the clinical-surgical treatment of the patient.

RESUMO Hipotensão Intracraniana Espontânea (HIE) é uma síndrome desconhecida até o advento das imagens de Ressonância Magnética (RM). É uma causa de cefaleia ortostática que permanece subdiagnosticada e raramente resulta em complicações, como trombose de seios venosos durais, hematoma subdural e hemorragia subaracnoidea. Algumas dessas complicações são potencialmente ameaçadoras à vida e devem ser prontamente reconhecidas pelos estudos de imagem. Nós revisamos as RM de 9 pacientes com HIE e descrevemos as complicações observadas em 3 casos. Dois deles tiveram hematoma subdural e um teve trombose de seio venoso dural detectados por tomografia computadorizada e RM. Concluímos que achados de RM são de grande importância no diagnóstico de HIE e suas complicações, frequentemente influenciando o tratamento clínico-cirúrgico do paciente.