Intracranial pressure monitoring and caesarean section in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease and symptomatic cerebellar haemangioblastomas

• The natural history of von Hippel-Lindau disease in pregnancy is uncertain.
• The management of general anaesthesia for caesarean section using intracranial pressure monitoring is described.
• No sustained rise in intracranial pressure was demonstrated during caesarean section.

Von Hippel-Lindau disease is a rare genetic disorder which gives rise to a range of tumours including central nervous system haemangioblastomas. We report a case of caesarean section in a patient with symptomatic cerebellar haemangioblastomas associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease. An intracranial pressure monitor was inserted before surgery, which enabled intracranial pressure to be monitored throughout. The anaesthetic implications of von Hippel-Lindau disease are discussed and clinical options explored.