Cerebral salt wasting syndrome in a patient affected of spontaneous frontoparietal subdural haematoma.

ABSTRACT

Ever since cerebral salt wasting syndrome (CSW) was first described in 1950, there have been debates over its existence and whether it has an important place in the differential diagnosis of hyponatraemia. We report the case of a neurosurgical patient with sustained hyponatraemia and abnormally high sodium loss in the urine, with signs of fluid volume depletion. Hyponatraemia was not corrected after an intravenous infusion of saline solution. Stable concentrations of blood sodium above 130 mmol/l were achieved with the administration of 100 mg of hydrocortisone daily, with an ensuing reduction in sodium elimination through the urine.