The Girl With the Headache and Double Vision

Abstract

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), previously referred to as pseudotumor cerebri is a disorder that is characterized by increased intracranial pressure caused by buildup or poor absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) without a space-occupying intracranial lesion or hydrocephalus. We report a case of a 17 year old female who presented to her primary care physician (PCP) for evaluation of a headache. Upon performance of computed tomography (CT scan) of the head and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain: no evidence of mass lesion or abnormal enhancement in the brain parenchyma, neither evidences of acute intracranial pathology was present. Lumbar puncture (LP) was done resulting in improvement of the patients symptoms and decreased intensity of headache. We will discuss the management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) with emphasis on the different etiologies and new diagnostic criteria for this disease.




J Med Cases. 2013;4(3):121-124
doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/jmc913w