Cerebrospinal fluid hypotension following fall in a child: Case report

Abstract

CSF hypotension arises in the context of a leak of CSF which causes negative intracranial pressure. Sacral fractures result from high-energy trauma which are frequently underdiagnosed. A ten-year-old boy presented with hip pain, after a fall. He mobilized both lower limbs, reported no leg pain, irradiation nor lack of sphincter control. The neurological examination was normal. When asked to stand, he began biparietal headache, nausea and vomiting, which improved laying down. CT scan showed an occult intrasacral meningocele; the MRI revealed collections of CSF along the spine, a S3 fracture with potential laceration of the meningocele and opening of a CSF fistula. Our diagnosis was the CSF hypotension, secondary to the fistula opening. The diagnosis was challenging. The child first presented with symptoms of CSF hypotension without evident cause. The discovery of the meningocele led us to hypothesize the opening of a fistula, a rare diagnosis, later confirmed by MRI.

Keywords: Cefalea.; Cerebrospinal fluid hypotension; Disrafismo espinal oculto; Fistula; Fractura de sacro; Fístula; Headache; Hipotensión del líquido cefalorraquídeo; Neuroimagen; Neuroimaging; Occult spinal dysraphism; Sacral fracture.