A Case of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Presenting as Subacute Intracranial Hypertension in a Young Adult.

ABSTRACT

We report a case of an 18-year-old woman presenting with headache, papilloedema, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis. She was subsequently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, which is to date the only reported case manifesting as central nervous system-localised disease in an adult. The intracranial hypertension was treated successfully with chemotherapy, acetazolamide, and CSF drainage, with no permanent visual impairment. The mechanism by which haematological malignancy causes intracranial hypertension is not fully elucidated, but we hypothesise that in our case, blast infiltration interfered with CSF reabsorption at the arachnoid granulations.