Fatal Acute Intracranial Subdural Hematoma After Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery Case Report and Review of the Literature

The authors report on the autopsy case of a 40-year-old primigravida without either coagulation disorders or anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy, who developed a fatal intracranial subdural hematoma after spinal anesthesia (SA) for elective cesarean delivery for tocophobia. Intracranial subdural hematoma is the most dreaded complication of SA and is often misdiagnosed with postdural puncture headache. In this article, the authors discuss pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors for the development of an intracranial subdural hematoma after SA and review the pertinent literature.