Postural headache in marfan syndrome associated with spinal cysts and liquor hypotension.
We here report a 13-year-old Marfan patient who suffered from severe, medication-resistant, intermittent headache, which was provoked when getting into an upright position and immediately relieved by lying down or after intravenous rehydration. The postural benefit and the sudden relief after intravenous hydration suggested (intermittent) intracranial hypotension, although a normal opening pressure on lumbar punction was observed and no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage was identified. Imaging studies revealed severe dural ectasia at lumbosacral level, and two intradural cysts and two extradural presacral cysts were detected. Most likely, altered hydrodynamics in intra- and extracranial spinal meningeal cysts caused intermittent CSF hypotension above these cysts, resulting in intermittent intracranial hypotension. Surgical marsupialisation of the intradural cysts proved to be effective. This resulted in a significant reduction of the headache during the clinical follow-up of eight years.
Voermans
N C
NC
Department of Neurology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. n.voermans@neuro.umcn.nl
Dijk
K G J van
KG
Bos
M M
MM
Geus-Oei
L-F de
LF
Verrips
A
A
Lindert
E J van
EJ
D000293:Adolescent; D003560:Cysts / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006261:Headache / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D019585:Intracranial Hypotension / Q000209:etiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008382:Marfan Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D009192:Myelography / Q000379:methods; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery