Cranial MRI predicts outcome of spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

The outcome of spontaneous intracranial hypotension has been unpredictable. The results of initial MRI were correlated to outcome of treatment in 33 patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension. A good outcome was obtained in 25 (97%) of 26 patients with an abnormal MRI vs only 1 (14%) of 7 patients with a normal MRI (p = 0.00004). These findings show that normal initial MRI is predictive of poor outcome in spontaneous intracranial hypotension.