What is Ideopathic Intracranial Hypertension aka Pseudotumor Cerebri?

Question

Have you ever heard of it, or what do you think it is from the name??? :-D

Answer 1

I have it.

It's a condition in which the brain either overproduces cerebro-spinal fluid, or this fluid doesn't drain correctly. Either way, the fluid build up puts pressure on the brain which can cause symptoms that mimic those found in patients with brain tumor. Common symptoms include severe headache that may be positional, decreased visual field, and a "whooshing" sound, called pulsile tintinitis. Diagnostic medical findings are swollen optic nerve heads, decreased field of vision, and increased CSF upon spinal tap.

Treatments range from diet, exercise, and management thru taps, to pharmaceutical treatment as well as the placement of VP and LP shunts.

There's nothing "pseudo" about it. The pain is real. The physical damage it can cause is real. The debilitation is real. This is NOT an "it's all in your head" disease. For more information check out: http://www.ihrfoundation.org/

Answer 2

An increase in pressure inside the skull from any cause such as a tumor , hydrocephalus, intracranial hemorrhage, trauma, infection ,or interference with the venous flow from the brain.

pseudo-tumor cerebri- benign intracranial hypertension(high bld pressure). Uncommon neurological condition-found in young, overweight women more than other groups of population.

Answer 3

There are symptoms of raised intracranial pressure, but the CT scan is normal. It has different causes, including hypervitaminoses A and D, corticosteroids , hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, administering growth hormone, etc.Doing a lumbar puncture helps to relieve the symptoms.

Answer 4

Shelley, I have it also. I was just diagnosed in December so I'm not that much help to you. I'm on diamox right now which doesn't seem to be working for me. I do not have a shunt but my neurologist has mentioned it. My vision is okay. I do have to get it checked every 45 days just to be careful.