Long-term Psychological and Physical Outcomes of Women After Postdural Puncture Headache: A Retrospective, Cohort Study

(Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2021;38:130–137)Accidental dural puncture (ADP) occurs in 0.4% to 6% of patients who receive neuraxial analgesia, and a significant number of ADP patients develop postdural puncture headache (PDPH). PDPH is associated with impaired maternal-neonatal bonding, longer hospital stay, limited ambulation and maternal morbidity. While previous studies have investigated long-term physical outcomes associated with PDPH, limited data exists on the associations between PDPH and long-term psychological outcomes, like postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study compared the frequency of these outcomes in women with PDPH with a control group of women without PDPH.