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Spontaneous CSF leak or Anachrod brain cyst?

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    Spontaneous CSF leak or Anachrod brain cyst?

    In October 2014 I started getting cough headaches (produced by Valsalva maneuvers), some ear issues (feeling of fullness - needing to "pop"), and slight facial tingling/numbness. I saw my general doc and had an MRI which showed a large (bit smaller than a golf ball), benign, likely congenital, anachroid cyst in the middle fossa area. The MRI showed no signs of a CFS leak. I was referred to a neurosurgeon.

    The neurosurgeon said there's a strong likelihood my cough headache is caused by the cyst and that draining the cyst (endoscopic fenestration) would likely solve the cough headache.

    I saw a 2nd neurosurgeon for an opinion. He thought the cyst had nothing to do with the cough headache. He thought perhaps I had a cranial venous issue and suggested more MRIs.

    The two conflicting opinions left me in limbo and I have done nothing. I still have a cough headache as well as pretty severe head pain now when I move my head a certain way (e.g. while nodding "yes" or "no" or shaking a can of spray paint, or hitting a bump on my bicycle etc.). My ears still have a feeling of fullness (needing to be "popped").

    I am 60 yrs. old, healthy, physically active, tall and lanky, take no medications and have no other health issues. A lot of my symptoms match those of a spontaneous CSF leak. I would hate to have an endoscopic cyst fenestration done only to still have headaches.

    Would a blood patch help rule out or rule in anything? A blood patch sure seems less invasive then having a scope inserted to the brain and draining a cyst.

    NOTE: Most cysts, like the one I have, rarely cause problems and are almost always discovered incidentally.

    I know folks are told not to offer advise here but I am looking perhaps for any shared experiences.

    Thanks in advance!
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