Intracranial Hypertension (Pseudotumour Cerebri)
What is Pseudotumour cerebri (PCT)?
Pseudotumour cerebri (PCT) is a condition in which high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure inside your head can cause problems with vision and headache. The term
In PCT, the flow of the CSF (a clear fluid that bathes the brain and the spinal cord) is blocked from flowing back out of the head as it should, leading to high pressure inside your head. This pressure results in swelling of the optic disc at the back of the eye, which can damage (sometimes permanently) the optic nerve, causing vision loss. High pressure may also give damage to the nerves that move the eyes, resulting in double vision.
What causes Pseudotumour cerebri (PCT)?
The reason for the decreased outflow of CSF is not clear. Because this condition seems to occur more often in overweight young women, a hormonal influence is suspected. Pseudotumour may also occur in children, men, and patients who are not overweight.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms of high CSF pressure inside the head are headache and visual loss. Symptoms of Pseudotumour cerebri include:
Dimming, blurring or graying of vision.
Difficulty seeing to the side.
Brief visual disturbance (often associated with bending or stooping)
Double vision.
Rushing noise in the ears.
Nausea and vomiting.
How is it diagnosed?
Your ophthalmologist will carefully measure your vision, check the light reaction of your pupils, examine the back of your eye and may evaluate your field of vision. Because other conditions may produce similar symptoms to PCT, an MRI scan is necessary for accurate diagnosis. A spinal tap is also necessary to check for elevated CSF and to make sure there are no other CSF abnormalities.
How is it treated?
If you have no significant headaches or evidence of vision loss (including visual fields) no treatment may be necessary. If you do experience these problems, certain medications used in treating glaucoma (Diamox - Acetazolamide) can lower the CSF pressure in the head by reducing the production of this fluid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Intra Cranial Hypertension
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