Intracranial hypotension due to ventral thoracic dural tear secondary to osteophyte complex: resolution after transdural thoracic microdiscectomy with dural repair. Illustrative case

BACKGROUND: Intracranial hypotension (IH) manifests with orthostatic headaches secondary to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypovolemia. Common iatrogenic etiologies include lumbar punctures and spinal surgery. Although much rarer, structural defects such as osteophytes and herniated calcified discs can violate dural integrity, resulting in CSF leak. OBSERVATIONS: The authors reported the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented with progressively worsening orthostatic headaches. During an extensive examination, magnetic resonance imaging of her thoracic spine revealed a cervicothoracic ventral epidural collection of CSF, prompting a dynamic computed tomography myelogram, which not only helped to confirm severe cerebral hypotension but also suggested underlying pathology of a dorsally projecting disc osteophyte complex at T2–3. Conservative and medical management failed to alleviate symptoms, and a permanent surgical cure was eventually sought. The patient underwent a transdural thoracic discectomy with dural repair, which resulted in resolution of her symptoms. LESSONS: Clear guidelines regarding the management strategy of IH secondary to disc osteophyte complexes are yet to be established. A thorough literature review noted only 24 reported cases between 1998 and 2019, in which 13 patients received surgery. There is a 46% symptom resolution rate with conservative management, lower than that for iatrogenic etiologies. For patients in whom conservative management failed, surgical intervention proved effective in resolving symptoms, with a success rate of 92.3%.