Scrabble?! SPONTANE

Definitions of SPONTANE in various dictionaries:

A spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak (SCSFL) is a medical condition in which the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounding the human brain and spinal cord leaks out of the surrounding protective dural sac for no apparent reason. The dura, a tough, inflexible tissue, is the outermost of the three layers of the meninges, the system of membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. A spontaneous CSF leak, as opposed to traumatically caused CSF leaks, arises idiopathically. It is one of several types of cerebrospinal fluid leaks and occurs due to the presence of one or more holes in the dura. A loss of CSF greater than its rate of production leads to a decreased volume inside the skull known as intracranial hypotension. Any CSF leak is most often characterized by orthostatic headaches, which worsen in a vertical position and improve when lying down. Other symptoms can include neck pain or stiffness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, and a metallic taste in the mouth. A CT scan can identify the site of a cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Once identified, the leak can often be repaired by an epidural blood patch, an injection of the patient's own blood at the site of the leak, a fibrin glue injection, or surgery. When the cause cannot be identified, the set of symptoms is referred to as spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak syndrome (SCSFLS). SCSFLS afflicts 5 out of every 100,000 people. On average, the condition develops at age 42, and women are twice as likely as men to develop the condition. Some people with SCSFLS chronically leak cerebrospinal fluid despite repeated patching attempts, leading to long-term disability due to pain. SCSFLS was first described by German neurologist Georg Schaltenbrand in 1938 and by American physician Henry Woltman of the Mayo Clinic in the 1950s.