Introduction:

Post dural puncture headache (PDPH) following spinal anesthesia is one of the most frequent complications associated with intrinsic patient and anesthetic technique factors.

Objective:

To describe the frequency and associated factors related to the development of PDPH.

Materials and methods:

Retrospective series of patients admitted to a second level hospital with a confirmed diagnosis of headache secondary to spinal anesthesia.

Results:

Series of 49 cases, 88 % female and 12 % male, mean age 27.7 years. The surgical procedures resulting in CPPM were gynecology and obstetrics surgeries 63 %, emergency surgeries of other specialties 28 % and elective surgeries 8 %. The anesthetic technique was performed with beveled needles Quincke type 25 gauge (G) in 14 %, 26 G gauge 33% and 27 G 53 %. In the seated position 51 % and in the left lateral decubitus position 49% were performed. A blood patch was used in 10 % of the cases and a history of migraine was present in 8 %.

Discussion:

The use of needles with conical tip design is currently the gold standard, they give reliable results and reduce complications such as PDPH.

Conclusion:

PDPH after spinal anesthesia was related to factors such as age (young), sex (female) and the use of traumatic needles. The other risk factors identified were inconclusive, although they cannot be ruled out due to the nature of this study.

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