Post op headaches?

[cceekkoo11]

hi everyone!
I am newly diagnosed, 4 cm AN on the left side. I already met with couple physicians and since the AN is so big surgery is a must, but there were some different approaches and i wanted to ask for your experience.
First one told me that to avoid headaches after the surgery they take some of the belly fat and put it around the incision. Second one said they don't do that anymore because there was no need to. They are using what he described as "snowflakes" at the corners of the skull opening and it was preventing muscle tissue to grow and connect with it (which was the reason for the post op headaches)
Which Technic did your surgeons use and did it make a difference with the headaches?

[leapyrtwins]

I had retrosigmoid approach and don't have post op headaches.

My surgeons used belly fat from my abdomen to put in the space where my AN used to be.

I don't know if that can be attributed to my lack of headaches or not (since I didn't experience them pre op either).

Haven't heard of "snowflakes" but my surgery was in May 2007.

I've heard more than once that there is a theory (not proven to my knowledge) that using belly fat reduces the incidence of CSF leaks.  Just for the record, I didn't have a CSF leak.  Is that because I have belly fat in my head?  Not sure - but something else to think about.

Jan

[Islandgirl]

I hope I never need it but it's good to know belly fat has it's uses 

[Jim Scott]

cceekkoo11 ~

FWIW: I underwent Retrosigmoid approach AN debulking surgery in 2006 and had titanium mesh (not belly fat) installed over the incision site.  No leaks, no problems and definitely no headaches - ever.  Like Jan, I didn't have any headaches prior to diagnosis.  I had asked my neurosurgeon (he had decades of AN surgery experience) about the possibility of post-op headaches and he assured me that I wouldn't have any.  I trusted him and he was proven correct, for which I'm grateful.

Jim

[Gloria Nailor]

I had the retrosigmoid approach, but it became infected 1.5 years later and I had all of the cement and metal removed. I actually have a piece of my skull missing about the size of a ping pong ball.  Luckily, I do not have issues with headaches, just my usual ones, I have always had headaches.  They have not increased in frequency related to my surgeries.  They did increase to daily after I had Gamma Knife treatment though, but resolved after a few weeks of low-dose steroids.

[kcarloy]

I had translab with belly fat and titanium plate, no problems.

[leapyrtwins]

I should have noted previously that, in addition to belly fat, I also have a titanium plate, titanium mesh, and titanium screws in my AN surgical site.  In addition, I have a titanium rod in my skull (BAHA implant).  Still no headaches for me.

Jan

[v357139]

As you've seen and will see, not all the docs have the same approach.  I had translab with belly fat and titanium mesh.  I am only 7 weeks, but no headaches so far than God.  There is an article on this site pertaining to headaches, let me know if you want it and I will forward you a copy.

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