DEC 16, 2014
By Jennifer Doyle, MD
Neuro-Ophthalmology/Orbit
This retrospective study found that prominent optic nerve head hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging predicts papilledema grade at the time of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) diagnosis.
The authors reviewed the charts of 42 patients with IIH who underwent orbital diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging within four weeks of diagnosis.
They found a significant relationship between papilledema grade and prominent optic nerve head hyperintensity on MRI at the time of initial diagnosis.
Optic nerve heads sensitivity at diagnosis was also found to be significantly correlated with the degree of papilledema at follow-up. There were no statistically significant associations found between hyperintensity at the time of diagnosis and visual acuity outcomes or visual field changes.
The authors conclude that these findings may offer insight into the pathophysiology of papilledema in IIH and provide a surrogate marker for the presence and severity of papilledema.