ORIGINAL ARTICLE Post Spinal Headache (PDPH), Spinal Headache, Spinal Needle

KHALID RAFIQUE1, MUHAMMAD SAEED2, IFTIKHAR AHMAD CHAUDHRY3, SHAHID MAHMOOD4, MUHAMMAD TAMUR5, TANVEER SADIQ6, ABDUL QAYYUM7

ABSTRACT

Aim: To compare the frequency of postdural puncture headache (PDPH) using 25 and 27 gauge Quincke needles in a population of young patients undergoing caesarian sections under general anesthesia. Methods: It was a prospective interventional study in which ninety patients were divided into two groups. Patient’s age, ASA classification, nature of surgery (elective or emergency) and position (sitting or lateral decubitus) during induction of spinal anesthesia were recorded. The patients were interviewed first through third post-operative days about the occurrence of headache and their satisfaction regarding spinal anesthesia. Conclusion: t was found that the proportion of patients with PDPH after 25 gauge Quincke needle was significantly more than those with 27 gauge Quincke. Keywords: Spinal headache, spinal headache, spinal needle

INTRODUCTION Correspondence to Dr. Khalid Rafique Cell: 03335118167 E-mail: [email protected] Spinal anesthesia is the technique of choice for administered by (1861–1949) on 16 Caesarean Section as it avoids general anesthetics. August 1898, when he injected 3 ml of 0.5% If surgery allows spinal anesthesia, it is very useful in solution into a 34-year-old labourer. They 6 patients with severe respiratory diseases e.g. COPD recommended it for surgeries of legs , but later on as it avoids complications related to intubation and gave it up due to the toxicity of cocaine. Carl Koller, ventilation. It may also be useful in patients where an ophthalmologist from , first described the anatomical abnormalities may make endotracheal use of topical cocaine for analgesia of the eye in 7 intubation very difficult. Common complications of 1884 . spinal anesthesia are hypotension, spinal shock, William Halsted and Richard Hall, surgeons at postdural puncture headache (PDPH) or post spinal Roosevelt Hospital in , took the idea of headache and abscess formation1. Postdural local anesthesia a step further by injecting cocaine puncture headache is the most common late into human tissues and nerves in order to produce 8 complication that should not to be treated lightly as it anesthesia for surgery . James Leonard Corning, a has potential for considerable morbidity2 or even neurologist in New York City, described the use of 9 death3,4. cocaine for spinal anesthesia in 1885 . Dural The first spinal analgesia was administered in puncture was described by Essex Wynter in 1891 10 1885 by James Leonard Corning (1855–1923), a followed shortly by Heinrich Quincke 6 months later . neurologist in New York. He was experimenting with Augustus Karl Gustav Bier, a German surgeon, used cocaine on the spinal nerves of a dog when he cocaine intrathecally on six patients for lower 11 accidentally pierced the Dura mater5. The first extremity surgery in 1898 . Spinal anesthesia planned spinal anesthesia for surgery in man was became more popular as new developments ------occurred, including the introduction of saddle block 1Assistant Professor Anesthesia, MBBS Medical College Mirpur, anesthesia by Adriani and Roman-Vega in 194612. Govt of AJK Anesthetists have been active in attempting to 2Muhammad Saeed, Consultant Anesthetist, Combined Military Hospital Muzzafarabad. Govt of AJK. reduce the incidence of PDPH. Reducing the size of 3Iftikhar Ahmad Chaudhry,Assistant Professor Community the spinal needle has made a significant impact on Medicine, MBBS Medical College Mirpur, Govt of AJK the incidence of PDPH. The incidence is 40% with a 4 Shahid Mahmood, Professor of Surgery, Islamabad Medical & 22G needle, 25% with a 25G needle13, 2%–12% with Dental College Islamabad. 14 5Muhammad Tamur. Assistant Professor Surgery, Foundation a 26G Quincke needle , and <2% with a 29G University Medical College, Rawalpindi. needle. However, technical difficulties leading to 6Tanveer Sadiq, Assistant Professor Surgery, MBBS Medical failure of the spinal anesthetic are common with College Mirpur, Govt of AJK needles of 29G or smaller15. 7Professor of Anaesthesia, Shalamar Medical College/Hospital, Lahore

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MATERIAL AND METHODS The categories of ASA grades in which different spinal needles were used are as shown in the bar After obtaining informed consent from the patients chart. and written permission from the hospital ethical committee, ninety female patients of 20 to 38 years of age, undergoing caesarian sections were randomly 25 25G distributed to either 25 or 27 gauge Quincke needle 27G groups. It was a prospective study, carried out at Departments of Anesthesiology H H Sheikh Khalifa 20 Bin Zaid Hospital/ CMH Muzaffarabad AJK and District Headquarter Hospital Mirpur AJK. The 15 patients were divided into two groups. Group I was given spinal anesthesia with 25 gauge Quincke spinal needle and group two through 27 gauge Quincke 10 spinal needle. Patient’s age, ASA classification, No of patients nature of surgery (elective or emergency) and position (sitting or lateral decubitus) during 5 administration of spinal anesthesia were recorded. The patients were interviewed first through third post- operative days about the occurrence of headache 0 and their satisfaction regarding spinal anesthesia. ASA I ASA II ASA III The severity of symptoms of PDPH was rated by the Spinal needle gaugae patients as mild, moderate and severe. The data was analyzed by using Chi-Square test by utilizing SSPS version 16. Only two patients from group I (25G spinal needle) Patients above class III (American Society of developed mild postdural puncture headache Anesthesiologists physical status class) were whereas no headache was reported in group II (27G excluded from the study. Also those patients who spinal needle). In 25 G group (group I), 2 out of 44 required more than one prick were not included in the patients developed PDPH (4.45 %), while no patient study. in 27 G group (group II) developed PDPH. 40 out of 44 patients in group I (90.90 %) expressed their RESULTS satisfaction with spinal anesthesia. Among the four patients who were not comfortable with spinal In our study, most of the patients were less than 30 anesthesia, two listed post-spinal headache and one years of age. Mean age, height and weight of the cited intra-operative nausea and vomiting as the patients and duration of surgery is shown in the table reason and one’s discomfort could not be explained. 1. In the group II, all of the 43 patients (100%)

expressed their satisfaction over spinal anesthesia. Table 1: Patient’s demographics and needle distribution Variables Group I Group II Table 2: Incidence of post-spinal headache Number of patients 44 43 Variables Group I Group II Age (years) 28±4.5 27±3.1 Incidence 4.45% zero Height (cm) 158±8.1 164±5.7 Patient’s satisfaction 90.90% 100% Weight (kg) 70.6±8 72.1±2.9 Duration of surgery (minutes) 55.7±3 57.1±5 DISCUSSION

The ASA Grade of the patients is shown in Table 2. We conducted this study on patients of younger age According to our study, maximum number of patients group who were going for Caesarian Section under was in ASA I or II. Only 7 patients were in ASA III. spinal anesthesia. Mean duration of surgery was 57 minutes. Most of the international studies also Table 2: ASA Grade of patients concluded that it is not the age, duration or type of ASA n surgical procedure on which the post spinal I 46 (52.87%) II 34 (39.08%) headache depends. According to Cook TM and his III 7 (8.04%) team from Royal College of Anesthetists, it is a Total 87 (100%) common and incapacitating complication following dura-arachnoid puncture, whether for the purposes of

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diagnosis, therapy or spinal anesthesia16,17. However, the dural perforation and the orientation of the spinal there are studies present in the international literature needle have a less significant role. which proved that age is one of the contributing Decreasing the gauge (G) of needle applied for factors on PDPH, though the effect is not very spinal anesthesia may be a logical solution to significant on post spinal headache. Patients at 20-40 decrease the incidence of PDPH. Therefore, a years are most susceptible, whereas, the lowest balance has been struck between the risk of PDPH incidence occurs after the fifth decades18,19. A greater and technical failure. Most experts agree that 25- 27 risk of PDPH in the 31–50 years age range was also G needles probably represent the optimum needle found by Wadud et al; In a study that compared size for spinal anesthesia however, technical patients below and above 50 years of age20. Other difficulties are common when spinal block is studies found a higher incidence of PDPH between attempted with needles of 29 G or smaller32,33,34. the ages of 20 and 30 years21,22. Turnbull DK, Shepherd DB mentioned that the CONCLUSION incidence is directly proportional to the size of the needle. It is 40% with a 20 GA needle, 25% with a 25 The most important factor influencing the incidence of GA needle, 2-10% with a 26 GA needle, and less PDPH is the size of dural tear which is related to the than 2% with a 29 GA needle23. However Lybecker H gauge of the needle used ,therefore the use of 25-27 and his team proved that factors like age, sex, gauge needles is recommended as these are pregnancy, previous history of post spinal headache, probably the most optimum sizes for administration needle size, needle tip shape, bevel orientation to the for spinal anesthesia, although 29 gauge or even dural fibers, number of lumbar puncture attempts, smaller spinal needle promise more satisfactory midline versus lateral lumbar puncture approach, results but technical difficulties are common with position(sitting/lateral decubitus), type of local needles smaller than 27 gauge with comparatively anesthetic solution, and clinical experience of the less technical difficulties of 29 G needle operator does have an effect on PDPH24,25.In contrast to this, Choi PT did a meta-analysis from 2010 to REFERENCES

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CORRIGANDUM

The name of third author in an original article title “Morphological study of reactive follicular hyperplasia lymph node“ published in April June 2014 issue of this journal on page No.398 is wrongly printed as Sadiq; while the exact name is Tanveer Sadiq, assistant professor surgery, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Mirpur AJK. This typographical error is regretted.

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