Background: Pregnant women are more likely to suffer post-puncture symptoms such as headaches and nausea due to the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid after spinal anesthesia. Because ketamine has the effect of raising intracranial pressure, it may be able to improve the symptoms of perioperative hypocranial pressure and effectively prevent the occurrence of hypocranial pressure-related side effects.
Method: Keywords such as ketamine, cesarean section, and spinal anesthesia were searched in databases including Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane from 1976 to 2021. Thirteen randomized controlled trials were selected for the meta-analysis.
Results: A total of 12 randomized trials involving 2099 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. There was no significant association between ketamine and the risk of headaches compared to the placebo (RR = 1.12; 95% CI: 0.53, 2.35; p = 0.77; I² = 62%). There was no significant association between ketamine and nausea compared to the placebo (RR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.40, 1.09; p = 0.10; I² = 57%). No significant associations between ketamine or the placebo and vomiting were found (RR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.53, 1.67; p = 0.83; I² = 72%).
Conclusion: Intravenous ketamine does not improve the symptoms caused by low intracranial pressure after spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing cesarean section.
Keywords: cesarean section; intracranial hypotension; ketamine; post-dural puncture headache; spinal anesthesia.