Cerebral Spinal Fluid Disorders: Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Answered:
1. What is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus? 0:03
2. How is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Diagnosed? 0:33
3. What is Pseudotumor Cerebri? 1:46
4. What are the treatment options for Pseudotumor Cerebri? 3:31
5. What are Cerebral Spinal Fluid leaks? 5:46
6. How are Cerebral Spinal Fluid leaks diagnosed? 6:51
7. What are the treatment options for Cerebral Spinal Fluid leaks? 8:04

[alexajessop]

I had 3 lumbar punctures when I was four moths old now I know where the headaches have come from. I have had them all of my life. My mother was never told of these side effects. They were so CRUEL back then. Thank you for your explanation. I am 66 and forever grateful.

[nicholasbryant]

Dr Luciano installed a shunt in my head last November. I never recovered vision in my right eye but I'm still alive.

[dareks]

Thank you so much for this straight-talking video.

[JessieMassoudi]

I just got diagnosed with IIH and my doctor never even mentioned weight loss. He just went straight to telling me I need a shunt. I’m so glad I saw this video, I’m going to ask him for other options because I heard that shunts can be really difficult

[KristinaMarie]

2018 after my second lumbar fusion and laminectomy I had a large csf tear where I was taken back to surgery the next morning and a skin graft taken from my left thigh was used to patch that tear. A year later I was informed by one physician after an MRI of my lumbar back detected a considerable amount of fluid within L4-L5 area and the surgeon who performed my spine surgery said it was okay and nothing ever done about it shortly after this finding I began having multiple spontaneous nose drainage and other symptoms from headaches to vertigo and loss of feeling in my arms and hands. These episodes occurred every two weeks all occurred in the same way upon waking up in the mornings as soon as I stood up from bed the symptoms started and I was confused could not walk or talk I would have to lay down and every episode lasted for 24 hours not fully subsiding until the next morning. This lasted for 8-9 months. I had to have a third lumbar fusion in September 2020 after that surgery which was a 360 degree surgery I ironically had my last suspicious episode in November 2020. All of the physicians in my hometown did not know what I had or why these episodes were occurring I had numerous testing done and everything I had came back normal the mri’s and ct scans of the brain showed mild issues but according to these doctors nothing to warrant any problems. Will these symptoms return? I had an abdominal mri a week ago and was told there is mild fluid retention again?

[ajcarter]

Best Doctor ...Had my surgery with him, no issues after that

[Sunjustsun]

My daughter is 10 and underweight she is very active. She was just diagnosed last month her pressure was 29. It has already effected her eyesight

[victorialee]

Very interesting and accessible. Thank you!

[sandihooyman]

I would love to show my brain MRI. All the doctors here in my small college town are perplexed. I was told that I may have had a massive stroke before birth. I was born in 1962 before MRIs. I was told my brain did not develop much but thanks to plasticity, my brain rewired itself and I graduated HS about a B- student. I do not drive because of low vision. A Neurosurgeon advised me not to be shunted this year when I saw a Neurosurgeon for the first time ever. I also have severe incontinence where I don’t leak, I gush using huge diapers every day. I was also diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis about the same time my Incontinence developed along with IBD. I also have slight CP but never acknowledged by my Pediatrician or parents back in the day. Now I am scooter bound and peeing and in pain 24/7. My Urologist only wants to consider OAB as the reason why I am incontinent. I truly believe it is a spine/brain thing. I guess I’m stuck with this. My MRI of my brain is interesting if you’d like a picture of it

[lohikarhu]

I apparently have two kinds of leaks, an older SIH, that seems very small, and caused occasional symptoms, but, just after an examination where my neck was hyper-extended, I began to have serious, and multiple, CSF leak symptoms, but, trying to get it recognized, and solid diagnostics performed, two months of pain, balance problems, in bed almost all day... Getting an initial diagnosis, for something quite rare, like SIH, is *hard*.

[karenlasserre]

I want you to be my doctor. My doctor really didn’t say what I have and what I need to do all he said was it was NPH

[leeannehicks]

Crush injury as a kid has left my spine deformed. Every single time they have tried to put a needle in my back they hit my spine snd leave me with a leak. I have had 6 blood patches and 5 incidences. The last dr assured me it wasn't possible for that to happen with today's technology. That time it took 2 blood patches to work and I was a jellyfish for a week afterwards. No needles in my back ever again, thank you!

[sonyaedgerton]

this was very well stated and easy to understand. I was diagnosed with IIH a few months ago. lots of questions and sad there are not more answers towards a cure

[MariaSantos-phoh]

I have NPH and Epilepsy for 15 yrs now it drives me nuts not being able to do much ( like going to pick up groceries, etc its effecting my walking, talking can't even think straight sometimes am 58 now and going downhill

[Divadimondsify]

Does IIH cause balance problems; disequilibrium; feeling like falling down with no dizziness and no vertigo?

[joncolon]

I remember getting a shot as a kid in my spine. because I remember my vision zooming in, with details on the wall you couldn't see till you stood and stared directly in front of it and things around me going really slow as I never knew what was happening. Something I cant explain today but remember vividly. Always happened suddenly, no pain no bad symptons, just not knowing what was happening and startled. I always ask my mom about that, she says she didn't know why I got the shot and says they misdiagnosed or mistreated me with it, I always ask about that time and she brushes it off, because they weren't supposed to give me that shot because they never really knew what was wrong at that time. The weird thing is before all that I remember slowly controlling it Everytime that happened, I'm still trying to search around what was the cause or what it is and I never had any mental problems or anything wrong mentally. Its kind of like getting used to sleep paralysis where your half asleep can't move but aware and see and hear your surroundings. You get use to being calm and slowly wake up easier and calmer. I don't know but it's something I can't stop thinking about. And I'm not talking about sleep paralysis, it's just an example on how I was kind of slowly not getting startled by it. No irrelevant or over exaggerated comments just some helpful ideas or articles about anything like it. I know it sounds weird as I remember and as you probably are reading this.

[maggiezamarro]

I've hade spinal fluid leaks afterear surgery come out of my left nostril like water especially when I bend dwon

[abhinav]

As minoxidile dilates blood vessels so can it cause headache by increasing high pressure

[kaitlynconyers]

No idea what my pressure was when i went into emergency surgery but after an ETV failure it spiked to 80, external shunt was turned back on. I developed chemical meningitus, white blood cell count was over 800. Couldn't do the shunt until it was under 30. Eye sight came back fully once the papilla edema went down. I got wonderful pictures of my wrinkly optic nerve.
No answer to where the clog is in my ventricular system. I guess they said near the base of my neck. who knows, Onset: age 18.

[gcc]

If there is a problem how do you convince a professional that they need to consider it? The patient is a young adult who has fluid imbalances constantly. How do you say he or she needs an MRI?