Surgical treatment of pseudotumor cerebri.

AIM: To share our experience with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients believed to have pseudotumor cerebri underwent a fundus oculi examination to confirm the existence of papillary stasis and lumbar puncture (LP) to measure cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. Patients who did not respond to medical treatment underwent fundus oculi examinations at 3-week intervals. Patients with CFS pressures exceeding 240 mm H2O underwent at least three LPs at 3-day intervals. Patients with higher CFS pressures were treated surgically.

RESULTS: The mean patient age was 40.8 (range 31-58) years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 30.9 (range 28.8-36.4) kg/m2. Papillary stasis was observed in 15 (46.8%) cases. The mean initial CSF pressure was 455.6 (range 360-560) mmHg, and after a mean of 4.3 (range 3-6) repeat measurements, this decreased to 213.4 (range 160-320) mmHg (Table I). Complications in our series included a lumbar pouch in three patients, and an abdominal pouch, meningitis, and abdominal migration in one patient each.

DISCUSSION: Surgical treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension is necessary when the intracranial pressure does not decrease despite medical treatment and repeat LP.

CONCLUSIONS: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is a clinical syndrome of unclear pathogenesis that is closely related to obesity.

KEY WORDS: Cerebrospinal fluid, Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, Pseudotumor cerebri, Obesity.