THE EFFECT OF EPIDURAL BLOOD PATCH ON HEARING-LOSS IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE POSTDURAL PUNCTURE HEADACHE

Study Objective: To determine the immediate effect of epidural blood p atch (EBP) on the hearing Loss that can accompany postdural puncture h eadache (PDPH). Design: Prospective open study. Setting: Anesthetic an d otolaryngologic departments at a university hospital. Subjects: 16 p atients who developed severe PDPH following either myelography or spin al anesthesia. Interventions: Epidural injection of 15 ml of autologou s blood. Measurements and Main Results: Audiometry at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz before and one hour after the epidural blo od patch was performed. Hearing was significantly improved in 12 of th e 16 patients studied. The improvement was at least 10 dB at two or mo re consecutive frequencies, or 5 dB at four or more consecutive freque ncies. Conclusion: Epidural blood patch improves hearing within one ho ur in the majority of patients with severe PDPH.