The Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital (FAH) of Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU) has recently become the only institution in western China to join the National Alliance for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH). At the alliances inaugural meeting, Dr. Huo Kang from the department presented the work carried out in the Headache Center and the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial hypotension.

Intracranial hypotension syndrome is a rare headache disorder that predominantly affects young and middle-aged adults and is typically characterized by postural headache. When the condition worsens, it may induce life-threatening complications such as subdural hematoma and brain herniation. At present, significant challenges remain in the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial hypotension syndrome, while academic research in this field is still at an early stage, and the overall level of diagnosis and treatment requires further improvement.

Against this backdrop, the Department of Neurology, together with the Departments of Radiology, Neurosurgery, and the Catheterization Laboratory, has formed a multidisciplinary team for the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial hypotension led by Professor Luo Guogang with Huo Kang, Wei Meng, and Liu Xiao. The team has made remarkable and rapid breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial hypotension syndrome. In 2025, at the Land Port Division, the team performed the first high-level targeted blood patch procedures for intracranial hypotension in Northwest China, as well as the first platelet-rich plasma (PrPx) high-level blood patch procedures. They also confirmed the first suspected case of intracranial hypotension syndrome associated with central nervous system iron deposition and cerebrospinal fluid leakage, which was successfully repaired with the support of the neurosurgery team led by Director He Baixiang. Within less than one year, the team has provided diagnosis and treatment plans for more than 40 patients with intracranial hypotension, all of whom achieved favorable outcomes. These advances have put an end to the need for cross-province medical care for patients with this condition. In addition to intracranial hypotension patients from Shaanxi Province, those from Gansu, Yunnan, Xinjiang, and other regions have also been attracted to seek care at the FAH.

At present, the FAH has acquired the capability to perform key diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for intracranial hypotension, such as spinal MR myelography, spinal canal myelography, and epidural blood patch. The team have successfully completed high-level targeted epidural blood patch procedures as well as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) targeted blood patch procedures, filling a relevant technical gap and providing strong guarantee for the precise diagnosis and treatment of intracranial hypotension syndrome.