Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension

The purpose of this research study is to compare two types of Computed Tomography Myelography (CTM) scans, one on the photon counting detector scanner (called PCD-CTM) and the other on the energy integrating detector scanner (called EID-CTM); both of which doctors usually use to diagnose abnormal connections between the cerebrospinal fluid and the venous system, or CSF-venous fistulas. This study will help to see if the newer PCD-CTM scan can find more spinal fluid leaks \[CSF-venous fistulas (CVF)\] than the scan that is normally used (EID-CTM).

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a condition characterized by refractory orthostatic headache, mostly due to leaks of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Epidural patch with autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which contains numerous growth factors and cytokines, has been reported as a new and promising alternative for current standard whole blood patching. However, there is no study comparing the efficacy and safety of the two approaches. In this study, we aimed to provide data concerning the outcomes of PRP patching versus conventional whole blood patching for treatment of refractory SIH cases failing in conservative therapy.

Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH) is a debilitating neurological disorder caused by a cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF), with an estimated incidence of 5 per 100,000 persons per year, of which mostly women between the ages of 35 years and 55 years. The typical presentation is moderate-to-severe orthostatic headache and several other possible neurological symptoms, that significantly impact patients' quality of life. Treatment of SIH usually starts with conservative measures, consisting of strict supine bed rest, hydration, caffeine, and simple analgesics. The vast majority of patients will require invasive treatments for their CSF leak, such as epidural blood patches, fibrin glue patches, endovascular coiling, and/or surgical repair. These specialized treatments are only offered in tertiary care centers and require specialized personnel and resources, which implicates a certain waiting time for the patients before permanent treatment is offered. In the meantime, due to the lack of an effective and accessible alternative, patients continue to suffer. The greater occipital nerve block (GONB) has been reported as a simple, safe, and effective treatment to provide short-to-intermediate term relief of migraine, cervicogenic headache, cluster headache, occipital neuralgia, and more recently, post-dural puncture headaches (PDPH). As the pathophysiology of intracranial hypotension caused by SIH or PDPH is very similar, it is stipulated that the effect of GONB will be similar for SIH patients. However, to date, no studies exploring the efficacy of GONB for SIH have been performed. The investigators propose to do a prospective observational study to explore the outcome of GONB for SIH. GONB can serve as a bridge therapy to control the debilitating headache of SIH while patients are awaiting permanent SIH treatment. Moreover, GONB can be performed by physicians of different specialties including neurology, which makes it an accessible treatment for all patients. Lastly, by offering better symptom control, this intervention could potentially restore patients' ability to work and reduce healthcare costs.

The purpose of this research is to determine the efficacy of paraspinal vein embolization for treatment of digital subtraction myelography (DSM) or CT myelography (CTM) confirmed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-venous fistulas so that researchers can inform the development and design of future clinical trials of this technique.