Idiopathic intracranial hypertension in a boy with obesity

Key words: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, Pseudotumor cerebri, Obesity, Acetazolamide

A case of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) in a 13-year-old boy with obesity, who developed headache, diplopia, vomiting and visual loss is reported. Fundus oculi examination revealed bilateral papilloedema, while a brain tomography and a brain magnetic resonance imaging and an angiography magnetic resonance ruled out intracranial disease, leading to diagnosis of IIH. Acetazolamide therapy was initiated with partial clinical improvement; the steroid therapy associated to diet led to a complete clinical improvement, confirmed by fundus oculi. The peculiarity of this case regarded a relatively benign pathology in which the presenting symptoms (headache, diplopia and vomiting) could be due to infectious or neurosurgical conditions of the central nervous system. The hypothesis of IIH was confirmed by exclusion and resolved with appropriate diuretic and dietetic therapies.