Effect of intravenous administration of atropine-neostigmine versus ondansetron in prevention postdural puncture headache in cesarean section under spinal: a randomized clinical trial

More than one-third of women develop headaches in the first week after childbirth. Approximately 75% are benign primary headaches such as migraines or tension headaches. Others are secondary and include headaches of vascular origin or from hypertensive disease, infection, space-occupying lesions and dural puncture. Postdural Puncture Headache (PDPH) is a common and annoying complication of spinal anesthesia, especially in cesarean section. This study compares the impress of an Atropine-Neostigmine mixture and Ondansetron on Post Spinal Puncture Headaches in Cesarean sec.

This triple-blinded controlled randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 pregnant women candidates for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia, that was carried out from May 2021 to August 2021 at Behshti Medical and Education Center affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University (IR.MUI.REC.1400.009) and informed consent was obtained from the patients/legal guardians. This clinical trial was registered at www.irct.ir with identification code IRCT 20160307026950N39. People were randomly assigned into three groups. A mixture of neostigmine (20 micrograms per kilogram) and atropine (10 micrograms per kilogram) in the first group and 4 mg of Ondansetron in the second group and a similar volume of normal saline in the control group were administered before surgery. Patients were followed up for headaches up to seven days after surgery. The severity of the headache was measured using the VAS scale. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and non-parametric equivalent, Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square test, and repeated measure test were used to measure the relationship between the variables.

 Analysis of the data did not show a significant difference between the three groups in terms of headache severity (P=0.788), headache duration, (P=0.723), the time elapsed from lumbar puncturing to the occurrence of the first headache (P=0.653), and the frequency of attempts for correct spinal tap (P=0.685).

none of our considered interventions had a noticeable impress on preventing or reducing PDPH in Cesarean section.