title: Atraumatic pneumocephalus: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Pneumocephalus or air within the cranial vault is usually associated with disruption of the skull caused by head trauma, neoplasms, or after craniofacial surgical interventions. We report a child who presented with headache and the pathognomonic "succussion splash" and was found to have atraumatic pneumocephalus from forceful valsalva maneuvers. Pneumocephalus forms, caused by either a ball-valve mechanism that allows air to enter but not exit the cranial vault, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, which create a negative pressure with subsequent air entry. We review the literature for traumatic and atraumatic causes of pneumocephalus, its complications, and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Babl
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Arnett
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Brancato
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kharasch
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Janecka
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D011007:Pneumocephalus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014636:Valsalva Maneuver