Cerebral Venous Congestion and Headache ft. Ferdinand Hui, MD

In this episode of HeadWise™, host Lindsay Weitzel, PhD, talks with Ferdinand Hui, MD, Medical Director of Neuro-Interventional Surgery at the University of Hawaii, about cerebral venous congestion—an emerging and often misunderstood contributor to persistent head pressure, visual symptoms, and chronic daily head pain. Dr. Hui explains how impaired venous outflow can disrupt the brain’s “waste-clearing” system, why anatomical compression points can create significant symptoms, and how this evolving disease model overlaps with conditions such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension. He also shares why many people with long-standing, daily head pain may have been miscategorized—and how engineering principles are helping researchers rethink these disorders. They explore: • What cerebral venous congestion is (and why the theory is gaining traction) • How structural compression and venous narrowing contribute to head pressure and pain • Why cerebral venous congestion symptoms can mimic migraine disease in some individuals • The role of connective tissue disorders in venous flow problems • How venous drainage, CSF pressure, and intracranial dynamics interact • When surgery may be considered for cerebral venous congestion and why diagnosis must be extremely precise This episode sheds light on a rapidly developing area of neurology—one that may help explain symptoms that many people have struggled to name—while offering a clear, science-driven look at how venous congestion affects head pain, vision, and overall brain function.