About a week ago, I had a water-like substance dripping like a faucet from my left nostril. It continued for approximately 7 days - when I made it to the ENT it was no longer producing at the same rate. (Only when I woke up, or during exercise would it seem to start dripping.)

I have a history of headaches/blurred-vision/altered consciousness (9 months) and tinnitus (4 months)

The ENT assured me that if it was a CSF leak, it would continue to produce, and if I leaned forward, it should drip - though it did not while in the office. He examined my nose with an endoscope and saw nothing unusual.

Is this still a possible case of a CSF leak? I am not a doctor by any means, but I did do a little research and the possibility of increased intracranial hypertension resulting in a CSF leak (see attachment) seems at least plausible. My initial symptoms seem to have lined up with increased intracranial hypertension, although I never got a spinal tap pressure reading, and the brain MRI (w/o gad) was unremarkable.

My main question is, does anyone have experience with CSF rhinorrhea that comes and goes? Or is it something that comes and stays until repaired?

Attached Files

Spontaneous CSF leaks - A paradigm for definitive repair and management of intracranial-hyperten.pdf (164.8 KB, 2603 views)