Spinal-cerebrospinal fluid leak demonstrated by radiopharmaceutical cisternography

Seham A. Ali, Fernando Cesani, Jeffery A. Zuckermann, Martin L. Nusynowitz, Gregory Chaljub

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are known to occur under several conditions: lumbar puncture performed for contrast myelography, spinal surgery, spinal stab wounds, fracture of the thoracic spine, inadvertent spinal puncture during epidural anesthesia, traumatic lumbar meningocele, and bronchopleural subarachnoid fistula due to bronchogenic carcinoma. Spontaneous spinal leaks are uncommonly encountered in neurosurgical practice, but they are increasingly recognized as a cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Most CSF leaks are located at the cervicothoracic junction or in the thoracic spine. The disease is often self-limiting. A CSF leak can be detected directly by accumulation of radioactivity outside the subarachnoid space or suggested indirectly by the rapid disappearance of tracer from the subarachnoid space and early appearance in the urinary bladder. In this paper we present two unusual cases of CSF leak identified by radiopharmaceutical cistenogram.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)152-155
Number of pages4
JournalClinical Nuclear Medicine
Volume23
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1998
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bronchopleural subarachnoid fistula
  • Cerebrospinal leak
  • Cisternogram
  • Radionuclide cisternogram

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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