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.