Comparison of Nebulized Neostigmine/Atropine Versus Lignocaine in Treating Acute Post-dural Puncture Headache Following Subarachnoid Block in Parturient Undergoing Elective Cesarean Section. A Randomized, Clinical Trial.

August 8, 2026 updated by: Mina Maher, Minia University
Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a common and debilitating complication of spinal anesthesia in pregnant patients undergoing cesarean sections, with an incidence ranging from 0.5% to 2% (1). The International Headache Society (IHS) defines PDPH as a headache occurring within 4 days of a lumbar puncture, caused by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage through the dural puncture (2). Although the exact cause of PDPH is not fully understood, it is thought to occur due to cerebrospinal fluid loss through dural tears, which leads to tension on pain-sensitive intracranial structures and reflex, uncontrolled cerebral vasodilation leading to severe agonizing tension headache (3). Treatment options include proper hydration, maintaining a supine position, caffeine, paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Many adjuvants have been questioned for their therapeutic effectiveness in enhancing conservative medical treatments, with conflicting results (4). For example, sumatriptan, theophylline and dexmedetomidine have been extensively studied. Neostigmine has emerged as a promising pharmacological adjuvant for conservative management. Neostigmine increases the serum level of acetylcholine via inhibition of cholinesterase (5). This action mediates cerebral vasoconstriction via nicotinic receptors, thus antagonizing the unopposed vasodilatation occurred due to dural tear. Lidocaine, on the other hand, can mediate sphenopalatine ganglion block which is responsible for pain signals transmission from the face (6).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
111

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Minya, Egypt, 61511
        • Recruiting
        • Minia University
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
          • Phone Number: 01015752424

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18-35 years old parturient with post partum headache after elective CS under spinal anesthesia with visual analog score (VAS) ≥ 4 [14] and Lybecker classification score ≥ 2

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy induced hypertension
  • Emergency C.S
  • Asthmatic candidates
  • Previous history of migraine or trigeminal neuralgia
  • History of bronchial asthma
  • Post partum hemorrhage
  • Need for GA , failed spinal anesthesia
  • Patient refusal

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Control group
Nebulization of 4 mL 0.9% saline twice daily for three days plus conventional management (consisted of bed rest in the supine position, good hydration with continuous infusion of 30 mL/kg/day lactated Ringer solution, 1 g paracetamol every 6 h. Diclofenac sodium suppository (100 mg) was given twice daily for 5 days as routine post-operative pain management
Drug: lidocaine group ( nebulized lidocaine + saline) total volume 4 ml
nebulization of 60 mg lidocaine in 4ml saline 0.9%
Active Comparator: Neostgmine group
Nebulization of 20 µ/kg neostigmine and 10 µ/kg atropine diluted in 0.9% sterile saline ( total volume 4 ml) twice daily for three days plus conventional management ( consisted of bed rest in the supine position, good hydration with continuous infusion of 30 mL/kg/day lactated Ringer solution, 1 g paracetamol every 6 h. Diclofenac sodium suppository (100 mg) was given twice daily for 5 days as routine post-operative pain management
Drug: lidocaine group ( nebulized lidocaine + saline) total volume 4 ml
nebulization of 60 mg lidocaine in 4ml saline 0.9%
Active Comparator: Lidocaine group
Nebulization of lidocaine 20% (60 mg) diluted in 4 ml of sterile saline 0.9% twice daily for three days plus conventional management ( consisted of bed rest in the supine position, good hydration with continuous infusion of 30 mL/kg/day lactated Ringer solution, 1 g paracetamol every 6 h. Diclofenac sodium suppository (100 mg) was given twice daily for 5 days as routine post-operative pain management
Drug: lidocaine group ( nebulized lidocaine + saline) total volume 4 ml
nebulization of 60 mg lidocaine in 4ml saline 0.9%

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
VAS score
Time Frame: pre interventiomnal, 1hour, 3 ,6, 12, 24, 34, 48, 72, 96, 120 hours
Acute pain categorization. 10= severe umimaginable pain..... 7- 9= severe pain...4-6= moderate to severe pain ..3- 5= moderate pain .... 1-3= mild pain
pre interventiomnal, 1hour, 3 ,6, 12, 24, 34, 48, 72, 96, 120 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
procedure related complication
Time Frame: 3 days
Complications related to nebulization ( dry cough, spasm, colics......)
3 days
neural complications
Time Frame: 7 days
persistent neural complications at time of discharge
7 days
number of patients in need for epidural blood patch
Time Frame: 5 days
VAS>3
5 days
Lybecker headache
Time Frame: pre interventiomnal,12, 24, 48, 72 hours
Severity of headache . mild, moderate , severe headache
pre interventiomnal,12, 24, 48, 72 hours
Trans-cranial doppler
Time Frame: at onset of treatment, 24, 48, 72 hours
Mean flow velocity
at onset of treatment, 24, 48, 72 hours
transcranial doppler
Time Frame: at enrollment, PREINTERVENTIONAL 24,48, 72 hours
resistive index
at enrollment, PREINTERVENTIONAL 24,48, 72 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Minia University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 20, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 5, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 10, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 11, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 13, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 8, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1392-12-2024

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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