TY - JOUR
T1 - Delayed Iatrogenic Intracranial Hypotension After Thoracotomy
AU - Federspiel, Christine K
AU - Kelsen, Jesper
AU - Fugleholm, Kåre
N1 - Copyright © 2020 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/7
Y1 - 2020/7
N2 - We report a case of intracranial hypotension (IH) after thoracotomy. A 56-year-old woman presented 10 days after a left upper lobectomy with severe headache due to pneumocephalus and pneumorrhachis, which resolved on conservative treatment. Two months later, the patient was readmitted in an unconscious state with characteristics of IH and “sagging brain.” Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging revealed a fistula at the level of the left Th5 pedicle. The patient underwent operation with closure of the fistula and recovered without complications. The presence of pneumocephalus and pneumorrhachis after thoracotomy should raise the suspicion of a persistent subarachnoid-pleural fistula to prevent IH and “sagging brain.”
AB - We report a case of intracranial hypotension (IH) after thoracotomy. A 56-year-old woman presented 10 days after a left upper lobectomy with severe headache due to pneumocephalus and pneumorrhachis, which resolved on conservative treatment. Two months later, the patient was readmitted in an unconscious state with characteristics of IH and “sagging brain.” Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging revealed a fistula at the level of the left Th5 pedicle. The patient underwent operation with closure of the fistula and recovered without complications. The presence of pneumocephalus and pneumorrhachis after thoracotomy should raise the suspicion of a persistent subarachnoid-pleural fistula to prevent IH and “sagging brain.”
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85086427369&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2019.11.020
DO - 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2019.11.020
M3 - Editorial
C2 - 31904369
SN - 0003-4975
VL - 110
SP - e35-e37
JO - The Annals of thoracic surgery
JF - The Annals of thoracic surgery
IS - 1
ER -