• Alice Holmquist, Daniel Calick, John Perkins, and David Keyes.
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016, United States. Electronic address: aholmquist@vt.edu.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2024 Sep 1; 83: 162.e5162.e7162.e5-162.e7.

AbstractSubdural hematoma is an uncommon complication of epidural analgesia or diagnostic lumbar puncture. Headache is a common complaint for patients with either a subdural hematoma or a post-dural puncture headache. Because post-dural puncture headaches are commonly seen in the Emergency Department, the potential to miss more serious pathology arises. We present the case of a young female who suffered bilateral subdural hematomas following epidural analgesia during childbirth. She presented twice to the Emergency Department and was treated for a post-dural puncture headache before computed tomography imaging revealed the diagnosis on the third Emergency Department encounter. This case highlights the importance of exploring all potential diagnoses when a patient presents with a headache after either epidural analgesia or a diagnostic lumbar puncture, especially if the patient returns after unsuccessful treatment for a presumptive post-dural puncture headache.Published by Elsevier Inc.

19 keywords...

hide…