CT scan reveals woman's runny nose was leaking cerebrospinal fluid

What a 52-year-old woman from Omaha, Nebraska thought was a continuous runny nose turned out to be cerebrospinal fluid leaking from her brain, according to a May 9 article from CNN. 

After being in a serious car accident two years ago, Kendra Jackson has struggled with migraines and a continuously runny nose which she thought was from a pesky cold. Recently, Jackson went to Nebraska Medical Center, where a CT scan revealed cerebrospinal fluid leaking from a small hole in her skull.  

"She would wake up in the morning after sleeping upright in a chair, and the whole front of her shirt was wet with fluid. It was a lot of fluid," said Christie Barnes, MD, a rhinologist at Nebraska Medicine and a lead surgeon on Jackson's case, according to CNN. 

Jackson was losing about half a liter of fluid per day. To treat her condition, Barnes performed surgery by plugging the hole in Jackson's skull using tissue from the nose and abdomen, according to CNN. Jackson has since reported that her nasal drip disappeared completely. 

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A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.

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