What are the causes of cerebrospinal fluid leakage?

There are a number of causes of cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CSF). They include head or spine injury, spinal tap and surgery. In some cases, the evasion of cerebrospinal fluid can be spontaneous occurrence for which there could be no known cause. In other cases, the cerebrospinal fluid leakage may occur due to intracranial pressure or the protrusion of the skull bones due to developmental defects. Most of the time there are no ways to prevent cerebrospinal fluid leakage, except for wearing a helmet that protects the head from trauma suffering.

The brain fluid itself is a fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which is used to pad the brain. The leakage of fluid causes the brain and spinal cord pressure, except that the person gives the person and increases the chances of infection. Although the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid usually disappears alone, in some cases it may become a serious health as an infection can lead meningitis, a life -threatening situation.

The main symptom of cerebrospinal fluid leak is the headache that feels worse when sitting or getting up, but improves when lying. Nausea, sensitivity to light and stiff neck are associated with this headache. Other symptoms are leaks of fluids from the ear, nose and surgical wounds, although this leak is rare. Symptoms of infection include chills and fever. If these symptoms follow the backbone tap or surgery, the patient should seek immediate medical attention.

between medical history and many tests can help doctors diagnose the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid. The doctor notices whether the patient recently suffered trauma of his head or spinal cord, had surgery of the brain, head or spinal cord, or recently underwent the spine procedure. Tests that can help in the diagnosis and location of the leak include calculated tomossen graphs (CT), magnetic resonance scanning (MRI) and radioisotope test.

Treatment of loss of cerebrospinal fluidIt depends on the cause and severity of the condition. The leak usually recovers from anywhere between a few days to six months. The physician usually recommends resting the patient and relieve headaches of pain medication. In some cases, the physician will have to block the leakage of epidural blood patch in which the blood clot seals the hole. A serious case of cerebrospinal fluid leakage will require surgery, such as endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA), to repair the problem.