Tonsillar herniation after lumbar puncture in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

A 30-year-old woman with coexisting renal tubular acidosis and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), treated with acetazolamide, experienced coning (cerebellar tonsillar herniation) after a lumbar puncture (LP). Brain magnetic resonance imaging at initial diagnosis of IIH showed minor tonsillar descent and computed tomographic venography revealed hypoplasia of the left transverse sinus. The patient previously had three uneventful LPs, all of which showed high opening pressures and normal cerebrospinal fluid composition. In retrospect, it was noted that her serum bicarbonate had fallen to 9 mmol/L (normal: 22-28 mm/L) 1 week before the LP. We hypothesize that the combination of cerebral edema (due to worsening metabolic acidosis), poor venous drainage, and preexisting minor tonsillar descent contributed to her post-LP coning.