@entity1514 Epidural Blood Patches in the Treatment of XXXX : A Retrospective Case Series.

@entity1 @entity5325 @entity1514 @entity5173 @entity2794 @entity158 @entity10 @entity551 @entity32799
BACKGROUND: @entity5325 ( @entity5325 ) results from leaks developing in the dura mater. The major symptom is @entity10 which gradually disappears after lying down. Lumbar epidural blood patches (EBPs) can be effective in relieving @entity10 , however, thoracic and cervical EBPs have also been applied to alleviate the symptoms. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: Retrospective collection of the main characteristics of @entity5325 , site and amount of blood injection, and clinical outcomes of 18 @entity1 who underwent thoracic EBPs for intractable @entity5325 . STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series RESULTS: All thoracic autologous EBPs except 3 were performed in the sitting position. @entity1 undergoing epidural puncture at lower thoracic levels (T10-T12) received 25 mL of autologous blood, 15 mL and 18 mL were injected at spinal segments T5-T7 (mid-thoracic) and T2-T4 (upper- thoracic), respectively. @entity1514 EBPs did not lead to immediate resolution of symptoms in 3 of 18 @entity1 ; one of them underwent early repetition with complete @entity10 relief, one refused a second @entity32799 , and one experienced partial resolution, followed by a recurrence, and then satisfactory improvement with a second high thoracic @entity32799 . In long-term follow-up only 2 @entity1 complained of symptoms or relapses. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective nature of the case series, single center experience. CONCLUSIONS: Performing thoracic-targeted EBPs as the preferred approach theoretically improves results with respect to those observed with lumbar EBPs. The immediate response was comparable with that of other reports, but the long-term success rate (90%) turned out to be very effective in terms of both quality of @entity10 relief and very low incidence of recurrence. KEY WORDS: Central @entity158 , @entity5173 , @entity2794 , @entity551 , epidural blood patch, @entity10 .
