Abstract:
We report a case of post-dural puncture headache
(PDPH) following epidural labour analgesia without
an obvious dural puncture. A twenty-eight year
primigravida, with a past history of migraine, developed
a headache characteristic of PDPH eighteen hours
postpartum, even though thorough testing of epidural
catheter placement at the time of insertion had been
uneventful. She was managed conservatively and her
symptoms subsided after one week. A diagnosis of
PDPH should be considered in patients who have
received epidural analgesia, even in the absence of
obvious dural puncture, so that the full range of
treatments for this incapacitating condition can be
offered.