Radionuclide cisternography: A prudent investigation in diagnosing spontaneous intracranial hypotension

Abstract

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a cause of new persistent headache, which disappears on recumbence and reappears in sitting/standing position (orthostatic headache). We present a case of orthostatic headache, where the patient was suspected to have SIH and was subjected to radionuclide cisternography (RNC) using 99m Technetium Diethylenetriaminepenta acetic acid for confirmation of diagnosis. After due consent from the patient, the radiotracer was injected intra-thecally and serial images were acquired until 24 h. The direct and indirect evidences of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, which were revealed in our study, provided objective evidence to the clinical diagnosis. RNC is an important investigation in diagnosing SIH and also identifying the site of CSF leak, which may aid the management.