Pseudotumor Cerebri (Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension) an Update

1.1 History Historically, several terms have been used to depict pseudotumor cerebri (PTC). In the late 1890's, Quincke (1893, 1897) was the first to describe and name this syndrome "meningitis serosa" patients suffering from headache, impaired visual acuity and papilledema. He related the symptoms to a state of elevated intracranial pressure and presumed it was caused by increased secretion of CSF by the autonomic nervous system. In 1904, Nonne (1904) termed this syndrome "pseudotumor cerebri" as the symptoms resembled a suspected intracranial mass. Foley (1955) renamed the condition "benign intracranial hypertension". However, in the late 1980's, Corbett et al (1982) altered the name to idiopathic intracranial hypertension, since the syndrome was not benign as once thought. In some cases, up to 25% of patients may lose their vision if appropriate treatment measures are not taken. At present, idiopathic intracranial hypertension is the accepted designation.