Brain Fluid Leakage Out the Nose (CSF Leak)

Image by Patrick Lynch from Wikipedia Fox News published a story today (12/3/12), describing one patient's runny nose that was not due to allergies, but in fact due to brain fluid leaking through a crack in the roof of her nose. Also known as  CSF leak  (cerebrospinal fluid leakage), correction of this problem can be performed endoscopically through the nose without any incisions on the face. An interesting trivia related to CSF leaks is that actor George Clooney suffered one after a…

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WP Medical Mystery: Sudden Hearing Loss

The Washington Post on 7/27/10 published a story in its Medical Mystery segment describing a patient who had sudden onset of hearing loss in one ear with tinnitus (or buzzing in the ear). This sudden hearing loss is known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss and is considered an urgent issue for which a patient needs to see an ENT as soon as possible. Why? Because treatment is most effective if given within 4 weeks of hearing loss onset. Treatment is with either high dose prednisone and/…

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Runny Nose Due to Spinal Fluid Leakage and Not Allergies!

Image from Wikipedia The Washington Post published a story on January 19, 2010 entitled " Doctors changed diagnosis after woman said allergies weren't causing runny nose ." In this story, the patient's runny nose from only one side was actually due to a CSF leak (cerebrospinal fluid leakage) and puts her at major risk for meningitis. Unfortunately for this particular patient, the hole through which this fluid was coming out from also had some brain tissue. She required ma…

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Washington Post Medical Mystery: Rare Severe Sore Throat Caused by Lemierre Syndrome

On Nov 3, 2009, the Washington Post Medical Mystery section published a story titled " Annoying bug turned out to be much more " where a 19 year old female presented with a sore throat which rapidly progressed to a blood clot in her jugular vein, pneumonia, and massive swelling in her neck. What she ended up having was " Lemierre syndrome " suspected by the diagnosing doctor at Georgetown University Medical Center based on the two telltale symtoms of a jugular infection and …

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Washington Post Medical Mystery: Pulsatile Tinnitus (Noises in the Ear)

The Washington Post on July 7, 2009 published a story on a lawyer who suffered from pulsatile tinnitus (hearing one's heartbeat in the ear) which was ultimately found to be due to a carotid artery dissection. A carotid artery dissection could have resulted in a serious ischemic stroke which thankfully did not happen. The story goes thru his experiences in trying to find a diagnosis and treatment. Keep in mind that pulsatile tinnitus is completely different from continuous tinnitus. …

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Washington Post Medical Mystery: A Deadly Sore Throat

The Washington Post on September 23, 2008, published a story of a severe sore throat due to epiglottitis, a severe infection involving the epiglottis, a structure immediately above the airway, which can result in death if not treated quickly. However, due to an accurate diagnosis, treatment with antibiotics and steroids was quickly provided and the patient recovered uneventfully. Read the story here .

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