Evaluation of the underlying causes of papilledema in children.
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify the types and relative frequencies of intracranial disorders in pediatric patients who present with papilledema. DESIGN Retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS This study was conducted in 2 pediatric ophthalmology clinics, both providing community based care in a large inner city urban center in the U.S. Pediatric patients aged between 0 and 16 years diagnosed with papilledema and who had an underlying etiology identified were included in the study. Patient demographic data, ophthalmologic examination findings, and diagnostic work up results were identified from clinical records. RESULTS The mean age of 38 study patients (19 female, 19 male) was 8.6 4.8 years. Of the 38 patients, 16 (42.1% had idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) as the underlying cause of the papilledema, 7 (18.4% had a craniosynostosis disorder, 6 (15.8% had intracranial tumours, 2 (5.3% had primary hydrocephalus, and 1 (2.6% patient each had transverse sinus thrombosis related to sinusitis, hypertensive crisis, subdural hematoma, intracranial abscess, Lyme disease, presumed neurosarcoidosis, and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Of the 6 intracranial tumours, 2 (33.3% presented in the sellar/parasellar region, 2 (33.3% in the posterior fossa, and 2 (33.3% were in cortical locations. CONCLUSION Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for IIH and brain tumours in children presenting with papilledema. Patients with craniosynostosis should have routine eye examinations to monitor for asymptomatic papilledema. Understanding the relative incidence of etiologies for papilledema highlights the urgency of appropriate work up and the need to consider low frequency etiologies.
Canadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie