When does too little pressure become too much? A case of spontaneous intracranial hypotension presenting with acute loss of consciousness.

Abstract

We present a unique case of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) presenting with acute collapse and loss of consciousness. The affected patient suffered an abrupt decline in level of consciousness several weeks after initial diagnosis. The patient was urgently transferred to a specialist neurosurgical unit. Imaging showed bilateral subdural fluid collections with significant associated local mass effect. The treating team faced a clinical conundrum with a lack of clarity as to whether this sudden deterioration was secondary to the local pressure effect on brainstem traction from reduced intracranial pressure. A decision was made to proceed with urgent burr-hole decompression of the bilateral subdural fluid collections. After a protracted, complex postoperative course, the patient recovered to full functional independence. To the author's knowledge, this is the first case in literature describing successful surgical management of SIH, with bilateral burr-hole evacuation to relieve the paradoxical mass effect of bilateral subdural fluid collections.