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CSF leak - Overview

Alternative Names

Intracranial hypotension

Definition of CSF leak:

A CSF leak is an escape of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

The dura is the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord and contains the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF can leak from any hole or tear in the dura.

Causes of a tear in the dura include:

Certain head, brain, or spinal surgeries
Head injury
Placement of tubes for epidural anesthesia or pain medications
Spinal tap (lumbar puncture)

Sometimes there is no cause.

Cerebrospinal fluid leak

Reviewed last on: 9/22/2008
Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Heegaard WG, Biros MH. Head. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2006:chap 38.

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