It presents like there should be a mass in the brain, but none can be found.
Features include:
- headache
- blurred vision
- dizziness
- horizontal diplopia
- papilloedema
Benign intracranial hypertension is associated with:
- COC
- steroids
- tetracyclines
- vitamin A
- nitrofurantoin
- isontertinoin
- danazol
Management is:
- weight loss
- acetazolamide
- loop diuretics
- prednisolone
- therapeutic lumbar puncture
- shunt
Note that up to 10% of patients have permanent significant vision loss - so its name of 'benign' is a little misleading! Optic nerve sheath fenestration can help prevent this.
Onwards for a spot of coarctation of the aorta...
