Fellow Education Funding Award recipient Dr. Emma Sechrist shares her thoughts on attending the 2023 Intracranial Hypotension Conference
2023 Conference: A chance to make a difference
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Commentary
“I became disabled overnight. Now I work and parent from bed.”
Like so many people who experience iatrogenic spinal CSF leak, Samantha Brandon had no idea how risky a routine lumbar puncture could be.
Brain Awareness Week 2021: Brain Descent and Low-Lying Cerebellar Tonsils in Spinal CSF Leak
Sometimes, intracranial hypotension (low intracranial cerebrospinal fluid volume/pressure) due to spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak can be mistakenly attributed to Chiari malformation. The cerebellum is the part of the brain located behind the top of the brain...
Brain Awareness Week 2021: Central Nervous System Manifestations and Complications in Spinal CSF Leak
Central nervous system manifestations Central nervous system complications from low CSF volume and pressure secondary to spinal CSF leak may or may not be directly related to the low CSF volume and pressure but are very frequently reported. These include: Cognitive...
Brain Awareness Week 2021: Subdural Fluid Collections and Meningeal Involvement in Spinal CSF Leak
Intracranial hypotension (low cerebrospinal fluid volume and pressure) from a spinal CSF leak is increasingly recognized as a cause of subdural fluid or blood collections such as subdural hygromas (a collection of fluid in subdural space) and subdural hematomas...
Brain Awareness Week 2021: Cranial Nerve Dysfunction and Spinal CSF Leak
There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves that can be affected by the brain sag caused by spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Some cranial nerves are affected more commonly than others. Here are some of common symptoms, and the cranial nerves associated with them:...
Brain Awareness Week 2021: Head Pain and Spinal CSF Leak
Each day this week, we’ll be discussing some of the neurological symptoms and complications related to spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Up first, by far the most common symptom (though not seen in every patient): Headache. The loss of CSF volume due to a leak...
Let’s make misdiagnosis the exception
In recent years, the awareness of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) has increased such that more patients are being diagnosed correctly. But sadly, misdiagnosis remains the rule rather than the exception. Too many suffer for months, years, or even decades...
Are all CSF leaks similar?
Often, when referring to any kind of cerebrospinal fluid leak, the non-specific term CSF leak is used. Few realize that a CSF leak may arise in the head OR in the spine, AND that these are two different disorders. Let’s try to clear up some of the confusion. What is a...
Intracranial hypotension – many mimics
The diagnosis of intracranial hypotension due to spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak can be challenging for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Even though the most frequent symptom is a positional headache – worse after minutes to hours upright and...
Pseudo-Chiari or Chiari Mimic in Intracranial Hypotension
Because September is Chiari Awareness Month, we wish to draw attention to a diagnostic pitfall where intracranial hypotension (low intracranial cerebrospinal fluid volume/pressure) due to spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is concerned. When MRI of the brain is...
Do Spinal CSF Leak Patients Need Additional Vaccinations?
This is a common question. In the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendations, pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for patients with "CSF leaks", without distinguishing between cranial CSF leak with an anatomic barrier defect and...