Childhood pseudotumor cerebri syndrome: demographics, clinical features and optical coherence tomography utilization as a new method for diagnosis, treatment efficiency and follow up

Abstract

Abstract Aim The aim of this study is to evaluate the demographic data, treatment efficacy, optical coherence tomography (OCT) results used for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PCS) followed up in our pediatric neurology clinic between 2014 and 2019. Methods: We included children aged <18 years with or without bilateral papilledema detected on initial examination and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) opening pressure of >26 cm/H2O in lumbar puncture. Patient data were obtained retrospectively from hospital records. Results: Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness increased significantly in OCT as CSF pressure increased. Further, RNFL thickness measured before and after treatment differed significantly. When the pretreatment body mass index and RNFL thickness of primary and secondary PCS cases were compared, it was found that RNFL thickness of obese patients was lower than that of non-obese patients. In conclusion, we suggest that OCT, which is an easy-to-apply and reliable test that has recently become widely used in pediatric PCS, should be used in the diagnosis of PCS, evaluation of treatment efficacy, and follow-up.