Spenopalatine Ganglion Block for Treatment of Post-dural Puncture Headaches
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-08-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is a severe, debilitating complication of dural puncture
that can arise from insertion of an epidural or spinal needle for labour analgesia.
Presently, the conservative treatment options for PDPH have limited effectiveness and the
gold standard treatment for PDPH, an epidural blood patch, is an invasive intervention with
the potential for serious complications. There is a growing number of case reports and
retrospective studies that suggest a sphenopalatine ganglion block (SPGB) with local
anesthetic may offer an effective, safe, and easy-to-administer treatment option for PDPH in
postpartum patients. We aim to conduct a feasibility study to assess whether a randomized
controlled trial is feasible comparing whether early intervention SPGB with the option for
repeat, patient self-administered SPGBs versus current standard conservative management can
reduce the severity and duration of PDPH pain and improve patient functional status.