Different MRI signs in predicting the treatment efficacy of epidural blood patch in spontaneous intracranial hypotension: A case report

Abstract

The current mainstay of treatment in spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is an epidural blood patch (EBP). Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a well-established role in the diagnosis of SIH, imaging features regarding the treatment efficacy of EBP have rarely been discussed. We therefore sought to investigate and compare the sequential brain MRI studies before and after EBP by evaluating the changes of the following intracranial structures-the contour of the transverse dural sinus (TDS), tension of the pituitary stalk (or the infundibulum), and thickness of the dura mater. We found that the progressive reversals of these structures are predictive of an effective EBP. © 2013, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Iranian Society of Radiology; Licensee KowsarKowsar Ltd.