Extract
Unintentional durotomy is a frequent complication of spinal surgical
procedures, with a rate as high as
17%1-5.
With appropriate management, the long-term outcomes for patients who had an
unintended durotomy were no different from those for patients who underwent a
similar surgery without
complications6,7.
A small percentage of patients with unintentional durotomy sustain
intracranial hemorrhage, likely due to an alteration in intradural hydrostatic
dynamics caused by cerebrospinal fluid
hypovolemia3,4,8,9.
Despite the gravity of this complication, to our knowledge, only six cases
have been previously
documented3,8-11.