What can cause a tear in the dura?

What can cause a tear in the dura?

These spontaneous leaks are often associated with thinner dura than normal, as is seen with a number of heritable disorders of connective tissue. A calcified intervertebral disc or bone spur may also be the cause of a dural tear.

How common is a dural tear?

Incidental dural tears or durotomy (ID) during lumbar decompressive surgery is a relatively rare complication causing severe consequences. Their incidence varies widely among different authors (1-17%) and in general depends on the type and complexity of the spinal procedures performed.

What does a dural tear feel like?

If your spine still has a dural tear, your spinal cord will leak this cerebrospinal fluid over time. This results in symptoms that include: Spinal Headache – Severe headache that may disappear when laying down. Spinal Meningitis – Sensitivity to light, fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and possibly seizures.

Can a dural tear cause nerve damage?

Nerve root herniation is an infrequent complication of incidental dural tear. Unrecognized or incidental dural tear was repaired using Gelfoam and fibrin glue.

How do you fix a dural tear?

Dural tears are repaired using microsurgical techniques – using a microscope and a fine needle. Small dural tears are sutured or stapled close, while larger ones are reconstructed with a patch or graft. Fat or fibrin glue may be used as a sealant to reinforce the repair.

How serious is a spinal fluid leak after surgery?

The leaking spinal fluid may cause a spinal headache. It can also increase the risk of infection of the spinal fluid (spinal meningitis). If the dural leak does not seal itself off fairly quickly on its own, a second operation may be necessary to repair the tear in the dura.

What is a dural repair?

How do you stop spinal fluid leak after surgery?

After conservative treatments have been tried, an epidural blood patch is the most common treatment for spinal CSF leaks. In this procedure, your own blood is injected into the spinal canal. The blood clot that forms creates a seal to stop the leak.

What happens when you leak spinal fluid after surgery?