Idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Atypical presentation

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of 5 patients with rare atypical presentation of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), and propose the possible mechanism of this atypical presentation.

METHODS: We carried out a retrospective study of 5 patients admitted at King Khalid National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with IIH during the period from January 2001 to December 2005. All were females with their age ranges from 24 to 40 years. The clinical presentations, and the laboratory and imaging studies were analyzed. The opening pressures of the lumbar puncture tests were documented.

RESULTS: All patients were presented with headache. One had typical pain of trigeminal neuralgia, and one with neck pain and radiculopathy. Facial diplegia was present in one patient, and 2 patients had bilateral 6th cranial neuropathy. Papilledema was present in all patients except in one patient. Imaging study was normal in all patients, and they had a very high opening pressure during lumbar puncture, except in one patient. All patients achieved full recovery with medical therapy in 6 to 12 weeks with no relapse during the mean follow up of 2 years.

CONCLUSION: Atypical findings in IIH are rare and require a high index of suspicion for early diagnosis.