By
Brooke Strickland and Dr. Andrew Cash
A dural tear occurs when the sac of tissue that covers the spinal cord and spinal nerves tears during spine surgery. If this tear isn’t recognized it may not heal and can leak spinal tissue which can cause a spinal headache and can increase your risk of infection of the spinal fluid which causes meningitis.
How are dural tears treated?
Once the surgeon spots the dural tear, it can be carefully sutured or a fibrin glue can be used, which will adhere dura mater on the spine and allow healing. The surgeon will make sure the leakage has stopped and post-surgery, the patient might require bed rest for 24 hours after the operation and then, small walks will be allowed throughout the day. The lesion usually heals quickly.
This type of injury can be very serious. Contact your doctor if you have more questions about dural tears and the treatments used to correct them.
For more information, contact Dr. Cash at www.disclv.com.
You can also view Dr. Cash's Verified Reviews® here or his personal page at www.andrew-cash-md.com.