Pseudotumor cerebri reversed by cardiac septal defect repair.

Abstract

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is diagnosed based on the presence of signs and symptoms of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), including headache and papilledema, without localizing neurologic signs or radiographic evidence of an identifiable cause such as an intracranial mass, hydrocephalus, or venous sinus obstructive disease.1,2⇓ The pathogenesis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension is not entirely known. Cerebral venous outflow obstruction is considered to be the general mechanism responsible for idiopathic intracranial hypertension.1-4⇓⇓⇓ Elevated central venous pressure (CVP) has long been proposed to be the source of elevated intracranial venous pressure in many cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.1,2,5⇓⇓ Congestive heart failure, large arteriovenous malformations, and increased pleural pressure secondary to obesity can all raise CVP and have been proposed to play a role in the development of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.1,2,5⇓⇓ We report a case of idiopathic intracranial hypertension reversed by cardiac septal repair in a young woman with a …