Pseudotumor cerebri

Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is a perplexing syndrome of increased intracranial pressure without a space-occupying lesion. The clinical criteria demanding a search for a primary cause include the following: The patient must be awake and alert. There must be no lateralizing signs on neurological examination besides a lateral rectus palsy. The papilledema must be caused by increased intracranial pressure and not by pseudopapilledema. Neuroimaging studies must be normal. A carefully performed lumbar puncture must show an elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, normal or low CSF protein, normal glucose, and normal cell count.(21) When no underlying etiology is found, the disorder is termed idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).