Intracranial hypertension and intracranial hypotension causing headache in the same patient.

Intracranial hypertension and intracranial hypotension are on the opposite end of the intracranial pressure spectra. It is extremely uncommon for both to cause headache in the same patient within a span of several days. This report describes a young man with intracranial hypertension who developed a severe excruciating headache due to intracranial hypotension after a diagnostic lumbar puncture. It is paradoxical that lumbar puncture, which is supposed to be a treatment option for patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension, leads to headache due to intracranial hypotension.