Treatment of orthostatic headache without intracranial hypotension: a case report.

BACKGROUND

Orthostatic headache is very suggestive of intracranial hypotension. It has a good prognosis as it usually responds to conservative treatment or epidural blood patches.

METHODS

A 36-year-old female presented with severe and prolonged orthostatic headache starting after a seizure. No stigma of intracranial hypotension was detected on brain MRI, and intracranial pressure was within normal range. No imaging evidence of a fistula was found. She was refractory to symptomatic treatment including five epidural blood patches. Progressive improvement occurred simultaneously to the introduction of vitamin A supplementation.

CONCLUSIONS

A series of six similar patients is discussed, in which five patients remained severely symptomatic and workdisabled at an average follow-up of four years. It is proposed that the pathophysiological mechanism producing orthostatic headache might not be dependent on intracranial hypotension and could respond to vitamin A.