[Postoperative nausea and vomiting in neurosurgery: the approaches are varied but the problem remains unsolved].

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) can induce brain displacement and herniation, especially in patients with cerebral edema.To evaluate the urgency of the problem associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting in current clinical practice (with modern approaches being used for its prevention) and to reveal the risk factors of PONV that are typically encountered in neurosurgical patients.A prospective observational study involved 240 patients who had undergone elective surgeries at the N.N. Burdenko National Scientific and Practical Center for Neurosurgery between July and November 2017. The data were collected from the questionnaires filled out by the patients during the first 48 h after the surgery and from patients' medical records.The overall rate of PONV was 39.6%. Thirty-six out of 53 (68%) patients developed PONV after the posterior fossa surgeries. The risk of PONV in this group was significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to the rate of PONV after interventions at a different location. The rate of PONV after treatment of extracranial pathology was ~10.5%; for a different location, it was as high as 32-37%. Intraoperative dexamethasone was used in 156 (65%) patients; in this group, the rate of PONV was 39.9%. Patients received ondansetron at a dose of 8 mg for a preventive purpose at the end of the surgery. A total of 162 patients were given the drug; 59 (36.4%) of them developed POTV during 48 h post-administration. Seventy-eight patients did not receive ondansetron. Thirty-six of them (46.2%) (p>0.05) developed POTV. The rate of POTV assessed during the first 8 h after surgery was 22.8% in patients who had received ondansetron and 37.2% in those who had not received it (p<0.05). Patients who had not intraoperatively received a combination of these drugs developed POTV in 55 (45%) cases (p>0.05).The problem associated in POTV remains topical in neurosurgery. The current approaches are not absolutely effective for prevention of POTV, whose rate ranges between 10.5 and 68% depending on surgery location. Further studies focused on administration of NK-1 receptor antagonists and electrical stimulation of the median nerve are needed to enhance the effectiveness of POTV prevention.