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Rhode Island Medical Journal (2013) Jun 2021Tension pneumocephalus (TPC) is a rare but devastating intracranial condition where increased intracranial pressure due to entrapped air causes compression of the brain... (Review)
Review
Tension pneumocephalus (TPC) is a rare but devastating intracranial condition where increased intracranial pressure due to entrapped air causes compression of the brain leading to headache, seizures, altered mental status (AMS), and death. The author presents the case of patient with a past medical history of eye-enucleation who subsequently developed TPC in the setting of occult trauma. The diagnosis was made via commuted tomography (CT) scan and the patient underwent needle and burr-hole decompression in the emergency department (ED). TPC is a rare cause of altered mental status, which occurs most often secondary to trauma, and should be considered in patients with AMS and trauma.
Topics: Brain; Headache; Humans; Pneumocephalus; Seizures; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 34044439
DOI: No ID Found -
Singapore Medical Journal Mar 2014Tension pneumocephalus is a rare but treatable neurosurgical emergency. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of tension pneumocephalus requires a high index of clinical...
Tension pneumocephalus is a rare but treatable neurosurgical emergency. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of tension pneumocephalus requires a high index of clinical suspicion corroborated by imaging. Herein, we describe a case of extensive tension pneumocephalus in a patient who had undergone transsphenoidal surgery and repair of the sellar floor, with subsequent successful decompression. This case report discusses the pertinent imaging features of tension pneumocephalus and its management.
Topics: Aged; Craniopharyngioma; Decompression, Surgical; Humans; Male; Neurosurgical Procedures; Pneumocephalus; Postoperative Complications; Reproducibility of Results; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 24664394
DOI: 10.11622/smedj.2014041 -
Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology... 2023
Topics: Humans; Pneumocephalus; Postoperative Complications; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 37517586
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjane.2023.07.005 -
Journal of the Belgian Society of... 2022Spontaneous, atraumatic pneumocephalus is a rare presentation of pneumococcal meningitis.
Spontaneous, atraumatic pneumocephalus is a rare presentation of pneumococcal meningitis.
PubMed: 36618029
DOI: 10.5334/jbsr.2993 -
Acta Neurochirurgica Sep 2022Concerns arise when patients with pneumocephalus engage in air travel. How hypobaric cabin pressure affects intracranial air is largely unclear. A widespread concern is... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Concerns arise when patients with pneumocephalus engage in air travel. How hypobaric cabin pressure affects intracranial air is largely unclear. A widespread concern is that the intracranial volume could relevantly expand during flight and lead to elevated intracranial pressure. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and summarise models and case reports with confirmed pre-flight pneumocephalus.
METHODS
The terms (pneumocephalus OR intracranial air) AND (flying OR fly OR travel OR air transport OR aircraft) were used to search the database PubMed on 30 November 2021. This search returned 144 results. To be included, a paper needed to fulfil each of the following criteria: (i) peer-reviewed publication of case reports, surveys, simulations or laboratory experiments that focussed on air travel with pre-existing pneumocephalus; (ii) available in full text.
RESULTS
Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria after title or abstract screening. We additionally identified five more articles when reviewing the references. A notion that repeatedly surfaced is that any air contained within the neurocranium increases in volume at higher altitude, much like any extracranial gas, potentially resulting in tension pneumocephalus or increased intracranial pressure.
DISCUSSION
Relatively conservative thresholds for patients flying with pneumocephalus are suggested based on models where the intracranial air equilibrates with cabin pressure, although intracranial air in a confined space would be surrounded by the intracranial pressure. There is a discrepancy between the models and case presentations in that we found no reports of permanent or transient decompensation secondary to a pre-existing pneumocephalus during air travel. Nevertheless, the quality of examination varies and clinicians might tend to refrain from reporting adverse events. We identified a persistent extracranial to intracranial fistulous process in multiple cases with newly diagnosed pneumocephalus after flight. Finally, we summarised management principles to avoid complications from pneumocephalus during air travel and argue that a patient-specific understanding of the pathophysiology and time course of the pneumocephalus are potentially more important than its volume.
Topics: Air Travel; Humans; Intracranial Hypertension; Intracranial Pressure; Pneumocephalus
PubMed: 35794427
DOI: 10.1007/s00701-022-05297-5 -
Anesthesiology Oct 2017
Review
Topics: Biopsy, Fine-Needle; Craniotomy; Humans; Pneumocephalus; Postoperative Complications; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Ventriculostomy
PubMed: 28537932
DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000001703 -
Acute and Critical Care May 2023Collection of air in the cranial cavity is called pneumocephalus. Although simple pneumocephalus is a benign condition, accompanying increased intracranial pressure can...
Collection of air in the cranial cavity is called pneumocephalus. Although simple pneumocephalus is a benign condition, accompanying increased intracranial pressure can produce a life-threatening condition comparable to tension pneumothorax, which is termed tension pneumocephalus. We report a case of tension pneumocephalus after drainage of a cerebrospinal fluid hygroma. The tension pneumocephalus was treated with decompression craniotomy, but the patient later died due to the complications related to critical care. Traumatic brain injury and neurosurgical intervention are the most common causes of pneumocephalus. Pneumocephalus and tension pneumocephalus are neurosurgical emergencies, and anesthetics and intensive care management like the use of nitrous oxide during anesthesia and positive pressure ventilation have important implications in their development and progress. Clinically, patients can present with various nonspecific neurological manifestations that are indistinguishable from a those of a primary neurological condition. If the diagnosis is questionable, patients should be investigated using computed tomography of the brain. Immediate neurosurgical consultation with decompression is the treatment of choice.
PubMed: 35545242
DOI: 10.4266/acc.2021.01102 -
Asian Journal of Neurosurgery 2016Pneumocephalus is commonly seen after head and facial trauma, ear infections, and tumors of the skull base or neurosurgical interventions. In tension pneumocephalus, the... (Review)
Review
Pneumocephalus is commonly seen after head and facial trauma, ear infections, and tumors of the skull base or neurosurgical interventions. In tension pneumocephalus, the continuous accumulation of intracranial air is thought to be caused by a "ball valve" mechanism. In turn, this may lead to a mass effect on the brain, with subsequent neurological deterioration and signs of herniation. Tension pneumocephalus is considered a life-threatening, neurosurgical emergency burr-hole evacuation was performed and he experienced a full recovery. However, more invasive surgery was needed to resolve the condition. Delayed tension pneumocephalus is extremely rare and considered a neurosurgical emergency. Pneumocephalus is a complication of head injury in 3.9-9.7% of the cases. The accumulation of intracranial air can be acute (<72 h) or delayed (≥72 h). When intracranial air causes intracranial hypertension and has a mass effect with neurological deterioration, it is called tension pneumocephalus. We represent a clinical case of a 30-year-old male patient with involved in a road traffic accident, complicated by tension pneumocephalus and cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea on 1 month after trauma and underwent urgent surgical intervention. Burr-hole placement in the right frontal region, evacuation of tension pneumocephalus. Tension pneumocephalus is a life-threatening neurosurgical emergency case, which needs to undergo immediate surgical intervention.
PubMed: 27695534
DOI: 10.4103/1793-5482.180904 -
BMC Surgery Jun 2022Pneumocephalus may be responsible for post-craniotomy headache but is easily overlooked in the clinical situation. In the present study, the relationship between the... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
Pneumocephalus may be responsible for post-craniotomy headache but is easily overlooked in the clinical situation. In the present study, the relationship between the amount of intracranial air and post-craniotomy headache was investigated.
METHODS
A retrospective observational study was performed on 79 patients who underwent minimal invasive craniotomy for unruptured cerebral aneurysms. Those who had undergone previous neurosurgery, neurological deficit before and after surgery were excluded The amount of air in the cranial cavity was measured using brain computed tomography (CT) taken within 6 h after surgery. To measure the degree of pain due to intracranial air, daily and total analgesic administration amount were used as a pain index. Correlation between intracranial air volume and total consumption of analgesic during hospitalization was tested using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to determine the amount of air associated with increased analgesic consumption over 72 h postoperatively.
RESULTS
The mean amount of intracranial air was 15.6 ± 9.1 mL. Total administration of parenteral and oral analgesics frequency were 6.5 ± 4.5, 13.2 ± 7.9 respectively. A statically significant correlation was observed between daily and total parenteral analgesic consumption after surgery and the amount of intracranial air at followed-up brain CT postoperatively within 24 h (r = 0.69, p < 0.001), within 48 h (r = 0.68, p < 0.001), and total duration after surgery (r = 0.84, p < 0.001). The optimal cut-off value of 12.14 mL of intracranial air predicts the use of parenteral analgesics over 72 h after surgery.
CONCLUSIONS
Pneumocephalus may be a causative factor for post-craniotomy pain and headache with surgical injuries.
Topics: Analgesics; Craniotomy; Headache; Humans; Pain; Pneumocephalus; Postoperative Complications; Postoperative Period
PubMed: 35768812
DOI: 10.1186/s12893-022-01701-0