title: Pneumocephalus associated with cerebrospinal fluid fistula as a complication of spinal surgery: a case report.
abstract: Pneumocephalus is a well-known condition following head trauma, but is rare as an injury or as a result of surgery of the spine. We present a 76-year-old patient with a rare case of pneumocephalus associated with a cerebrospinal fluid fistula as a complication of surgical treatment for cervical myelopathy. Although cerebrospinal fluid leakage was noted and the injured dura was carefully sutured at operation, tension pneumocephalus occurred. The resultant pneumocephalus was diagnosed based on neurogenic symptoms including sudden convulsion, head radiograph, and computed tomography scan. The benign course of the pneumocephalus postdiagnosis did not require secondary operation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chou-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikuta
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akisue
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujioka
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doita
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurosaka
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuroda