Cerebral Blood Flow in Low Intracranial Pressure Headaches-What is Known?

Magdalena Nowaczewska; Henryk Kaźmierczak

doi:10.3390/brainsci10010002

Cerebral Blood Flow in Low Intracranial Pressure Headaches-What is Known?

Brain Sci. 2019 Dec 19;10(1):2. doi: 10.3390/brainsci10010002.

Authors

Magdalena Nowaczewska¹, Henryk Kaźmierczak²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathophysiology of Hearing and Balance System, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, M. Curie 9, 85-090 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
² Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Laryngological Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz Nicolaus Copernicus University, M. Curie 9, 85-090 Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Abstract

Headaches attributed to low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure are described as orthostatic headaches caused by spontaneous or secondary low CSF pressure or CSF leakages. Regardless of the cause, CFS leaks may lead to intracranial hypotension (IH) and influence cerebral blood flow (CBF). When CSF volume decreases, a compensative increase in intracranial blood volume and cerebral vasodilatation occurs. Sinking of the brain and traction on pain-sensitive structures are thought to be the causes of orthostatic headaches. Although there are many studies concerning CBF during intracranial hypertension, little is known about CBF characteristics during low intracranial pressure. The aim of this review is to examine the relationship between CBF, CSF, and intracranial pressure in headaches assigned to low CSF pressure.

Keywords: cerebral autoregulation; cerebral blood flow; cerebrospinal fluid; intracranial hypotension; intracranial pressure; orthostatic headaches; post-dural-puncture headaches; transcranial doppler.