When Mount Fuji Can Erupt after Seven Days: A Case Report of Delayed Posttraumatic Tension Pneumocephalus with Literature Review

Tension pneumocephalus (TPC) is a neurosurgical emergency that occurs when there is an expansion of trapped intracranial gas causing raised intracranial pressure. Rarely, posttraumatic TPC can occur even after 72 hours although the initial scans are normal. There are less than 20 cases of delayed TPC in the reported literature. Here, we report a case of delayed TPC that occurred 7 days after the initial injury and presented as sudden neurological deterioration. It was promptly diagnosed with a computed tomography brain and appropriate surgical intervention was performed and the outcome was good. We also did a literature review of reported cases of delayed TPC and looked out for factors that may predict its occurrence. The occurrence of an episode of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, followed by worsening of headache and sensorium in a patient with anterior cranial fossa fracture should alert a neurosurgeon to the possibility of delayed TPC.