title: [Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak may cause intracranial hypotension].
abstract: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is often misinterpreted as migraine or tension headache. This type of headache is, however, orthostatic and resolves in supine position. CT scan/MRI of the brain has characteristic findings, enhancement of the pachymeninges and bilateral hygroma. An extreme situation of a 70-year-old woman with sagging midbrain is described in this case report. Although this type of headache may be caused by a dural fistula with spinal fluid leak it is not necessary to locate the lesion with myelografi/MR. Timely treatment with an epidural blood patch at any lumbal level could prevent potentially life-threatening complications and the headache resolved within hours/few days.
authors.affiliation: Neurologisk Afdeling 2081, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 København Ø. ingelise.christiansen@regionh.dk.
authors.forename: Ingelise
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Christiansen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017217:Blood Patch, Epidural; D065634:Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D019585:Intracranial Hypotension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000473:pathology