Optical coherence tomography (OCT) assessment of morphological changes of the optic nerve head in IIH

Abstract

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), also known as pseudotumor cerebri, is characterized by elevated intracranial pressure with no apparent cause, most commonly in overweight women during childbearing age. Aims and Objectives: This is a retrospective study to assess the morphologic changes of the optic nerve head in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to assess the correlation between CSF pressure and OCT finding.Material and methods:Data were extracted from the medical records of the IIH patients including CSF pressure and Stratus OCT images.Results:Twenty eight eyes of 14 IIH patients were compared with twenty four eyes of 14 healthy control subjects in relation to their clinical optic disc appearance. Average retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was statistically different between the two groups: normal optic disc(N = 28) – 98.8 + 13.2m and papilledema group (N = 28) 132.2 + 47.9m (p< 0.05). CSF pressure in not well correlated to RNFL thickness of OCT findings (p> 0.05).Conclusion: The study revealed that peri-papillary RNFL thickness measurements and the clinical appearance of the optic discs correlated well; signifying the role of OCT in follow up of IIH patients.However more studies are required for validation of this finding.