CSF leak

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Cerebrospinal fluid leak

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

CSF leak

Alternative Names:

Intracranial hypotension

Treatment:

Depending on the cause of the leak, many cases resolve spontaneously after a few days. Complete bed rest for several days is usually recommended.

Headache may be treated with pain relievers and fluids. If the headache persists longer than a week after a lumbar puncture, a blood patch procedure may be done to block the hole that may be leaking fluid. In most cases, this resolves the symptoms.

If symptoms of infection occur (fever, chills, change in mental status), antibiotic therapy is required.

Expectations (prognosis):

Prognosis is usually good depending on the cause. Most cases heal spontaneously with no lasting symptoms. If the leak is due to head trauma or surgery, complications may be caused by underlying conditions. Careful attention should be paid to the possibility of infection, which can also cause serious complications.

Complications:

Complications may occur if the underlying cause is surgery or trauma. Infections can cause serious complications such as swelling of the brain. CSF leak due to a lumbar puncture usually resolves satisfactorily.

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of a headache which gets worse when you sit up, particularly if you have recently had head injury, surgery, or childbirth involving epidural anesthesia.

Review Date: 8/1/2004
Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, M.D., Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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