5th Edition of International Neurology Conference 2026

Abstract

The presence of cerebral air in the absence of a previous history of head trauma, neurosurgical surgery, or obvious infection is the defining characteristic of the uncommon clinical syndrome known as spontaneous pneumocephalus. The most prevalent causes of pneumocephalus include cranial surgery, paranasal sinus illness, skull base fractures, and barotrauma. Pneumocephalus manifests itself when there is a rupture in the skull or dura. On the other hand, it is quite uncommon for it to occur whenever there is no evident explanation. The slight, unnoticed abnormalities in the skull base, pressure gradients from Valsalva movements, and gas generation from concealed illnesses are some of the hypotheses that have been proposed as potential underlying causes for spontaneous instances.
From a clinical standpoint, spontaneous pneumocephalus can manifest itself with a wide variety of neurological symptoms. These symptoms might include headaches that are not unique to the condition, dizziness, altered sensorium, focal impairments, or indicators of raised intracranial pressure. Within this group of indications, seizure activity is a really rare occurrence. A diagnostic hurdle is presented by seizures as the initial presenting symptom. This is because seizures can easily be attributed to more common etiologies in the absence of a history of trauma or surgical procedures. In the event that a generalized tonic–clonic seizure is accompanied with spontaneous pneumocephalus, the diagnosis may be delayed depending on whether or not neuroimaging is performed as quickly as possible. Because of this, it is of the utmost importance to have a high level of clinical suspicion and to get imaging done as soon as possible in order to guarantee that this uncommon ailment is appropriately identified.