Question

A common way to deliver anesthesia for surgery and childbirth is to inject the anesthetic agent into the epidural space. A possible complication of this procedure is a tear in the dura mater tha causes CSF to leak out of the central nervous system. Why would a loss of cerebrospinal fluid be problematic? What symptoms do you predict with this condition?

Answer 1

Cerebrospinal fluid leak can occur when there is a tear or hole in the membrane that surrounds the brain or spinal cord.

The CSF leaks can occur when the soft tissues around the spinal cord has some tear in it. During the time of surgery and childbirth, the dura mater tha leaks some amount of CSF which can be problematic.

The common symptoms are:

Headache, nausea and vomitting.

Sense of imbalance

Photobhobia

Neck pain or stiffness.

Change in hearing.

Answer 2

An epidural anesthetic injection does have a possible complication towards the dura mater where cerebrospinal fluid can be found. The loss of Cerebrospinal Fluid can be problematic because it will cause friction between the brain and the coverings. It will cause headaches, double vision, facial numbness, nausea, and will affect your hearing.