Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak from an anomalous thoracic nerve root: case report

J Neurosurg Spine. 2016 Dec;25(6):685-688. doi: 10.3171/2016.4.SPINE151465. Epub 2016 Jul 1.

Abstract

The authors report the case of a 28-year-old woman with a spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak from the sleeve of a redundant thoracic nerve root. She presented with postural headaches and orthostatic symptoms indicative of intracranial hypotension. CT myelography revealed that the lesion was located at the T-11 nerve root. After failure of conservative management, including blood patches and thrombin glue injections, the patient was successfully treated with surgical decompression and ligation of the duplicate nerve, resulting in full resolution of her orthostatic symptoms.

Keywords: CSF = cerebrospinal fluid; anomalous; cerebrospinal fluid; congenital; dura; leak; spine; thoracic nerve root.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Blood Patch, Epidural
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak / diagnostic imaging
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak / etiology*
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak / therapy
  • Decompression, Surgical / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ligation / methods
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Myelography / methods
  • Thoracic Nerves / abnormalities*
  • Thoracic Nerves / diagnostic imaging
  • Thoracic Nerves / surgery
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods