Radiology Case Reports (Feb 2024)

Unsuspected cerebrospinal fluid leak following a minor sacral fracture: A case report

  • Marcelo Rego Mota da Rocha Filho, MD,
  • Viviane Sayuri Yamachira Dwan, MD,
  • Diogo Guilherme Leao Edelmuth, MD,
  • Paulo Victor Partezani Helito, PhD,
  • Denise Tokechi Amaral, PhD,
  • Marcos Felippe de Paula Correa, MD,
  • Renata Vidal Leão, MD

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 2
pp. 716 – 720

Abstract

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We describe a unique case of a 38-year-old female who presented at the emergency room due to a minor sacral fracture and local pain complicated by an initially undiagnosed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. This case emphasizes the importance of radiologists being attentive to subtle imaging findings of CSF leaks on computed tomography (CT) examinations, even in cases of low-energy traumas, as well as the complementary role of a dedicated magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol for such diagnosis.

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