Guiding follow-up of paediatric idiopathic intracranial hypertension with optical coherence tomography.

ABSTRACT

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is uncommon in the paediatric population. Papilloedema is the hallmark sign and patients can suffer permanent vision loss as a consequence. We describe the role of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the follow-up of two paediatric patients with newly diagnosed IIH. Patient A presented with vomiting and examination showed ophthalmoplaegia and papilloedema. She was treated with acetazolamide, furosemide and therapeutic lumbar punctures. Patient B presented with incidental papilloedema and was treated with acetazolamide and she reported intermittent headache during follow-up. Fundoscopic examinations for both patients showed persistent blurred disc margins but OCT examinations documented improvement of average retinal nerve fibre layers. OCT may be of value in monitoring for recurrence in paediatric IIH.