• Raja K Kutty, Sreemathyamma Sunilkumar Balakrishnan SB Department of Neurosurgery, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India., Jyothish Laila Sivanandapanicker, Prasanth Asher, and Anilkumar Peethambaran.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Electronic address: drrajakkutty@gmail.com.
• World Neurosurg. 2020 Jun 1; 138: 84-88.

BackgroundColloid cysts are benign and rare tumors of the brain. The growth rates of these tumors are unpredictable. These cysts can increase in size and obstruct the cerebrospinal fluid pathways producing obstructive hydrocephalus. Consequently, this can manifest as acute severe headaches followed by deterioration in consciousness, or even sudden death in patients. Such remarkable episodes occurring in patients during air travel have been reported sparsely in the literature.Case DescriptionIn this report, we narrate the ordeal of a patient who had severe headache followed by loss of consciousness during his air travel. After his arrival, he was taken to a referral center where the diagnosis of a colloid cyst obstructing the cerebrospinal fluid pathway resulting in acute obstructive hydrocephalus was revealed. We analyze the physiologic effects of cabin pressure and high altitude on the intracranial pressure and present a brief review of the literature.ConclusionsChanges in cabin pressure during flight may play a role in worsening of intracranial pressure in patients with colloid cyst with marginal brain compliance.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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