Case Report Braz J Anesthesiol 2021

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of pneumocephalus associated with epidural block: case report

Castedo J, Ferreira A, Camacho Ó — Braz J Anesthesiol, 2021

View Original on PubMed PMID 33957186

Tier 2, Indexed

Automatically imported from PubMed based on relevance criteria.

Summary

What Researchers Did

Portuguese anesthesiologists described a case of pneumocephalus (air trapped inside the skull) that developed as a complication of epidural analgesia during knee replacement surgery, treated with HBOT.

What They Found

After a single HBOT session, imaging showed near-complete resorption of the intracranial air and the patient experienced significant neurological improvement. The patient had presented with decreased consciousness following surgery.

Canadian Relevance

No direct Canadian connection identified.

Study Limitations

A single case report cannot establish whether HBOT was necessary for recovery, as some pneumocephalus cases resolve spontaneously with observation and supplemental oxygen.

This plain-language summary is generated with AI assistance and checked against the source abstract before publication. See our editorial policy.

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Study Details

Study Type	Case Report
Category	Neurological
Source	Pubmed
PubMed ID	33957186
Year Published	2021
Journal	Braz J Anesthesiol
MeSH Terms	Analgesia, Epidural; Humans; Hyperbaric Oxygenation; Middle Aged; Pneumocephalus

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Last reviewed: March 19, 2026 | Reviewed by: Canada Hyperbarics Editorial Team | Editorial process | Research sources | Counts & methodology