 |
Case Report
Pseudotumor cerebri in pregnant obese patient: A case report
1 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine—Auburn Campus, Auburn, AL, USA
2 Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO, USA
3 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine—Carolinas Campus, Spartanburg, SC, USA
4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Piedmont Columbus Midtown, Columbus, GA, USA
Address correspondence to:
Nga Tran
5295 Riverchase Drive, Apt 512, Phenix City, AL 36867,
USA
Message to Corresponding Author
Article ID: 100160Z08NT2023
Access full text article on other devices
Access PDF of article on other devices
How to cite this article
Tran N, Liu J, Harrison P, Jones II J. Pseudotumor cerebri in pregnant obese patient: A case report. J Case Rep Images Obstet Gynecol 2023;9(2):30–34.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC), idiopathic intracranial hypertension, is a serious condition that is most associated with pregnancy. It is believed that symptoms are due to increased stroke volume and fluid retention ultimately increasing intracranial pressure. This increased pressure can lead to cerebral edema and dysfunction of the optic nerve fibers. The initial workup for PTC is conducting a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan to rule out structural abnormalities that may induce a headache. A lumbar puncture can be performed to acutely relieve the symptoms and definitively diagnose PTC; however, the definitive treatment is acetazolamide through the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase alleviating intracranial pressure.
Case Report: This case report discusses how a pseudotumor cerebri affected the pregnancy of a 29-year-old female who presented with headache, blurry vision with eye pain, and abdominal pain. Her pregnancy was complicated by several comorbidities. Ultrasound showed a viable intrauterine pregnancy, while an MRI without contrast of the head revealed bilateral papilledema. She was treated with acetazolamide and underwent a primary low transverse cesarean section due to fetal malpresentation and pseudotumor cerebri diagnosis.
Conclusion: It is imperative that symptoms of PTC are recognized as a larger diagnosis and that imaging confirms the increased intracranial pressure. The initial workup for PTC is conducting a CT or MRI brain scan to rule out structural abnormalities that may induce a headache. A lumbar puncture can relieve the symptoms and definitively diagnose PTC. The definitive treatment is acetazolamide through the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase alleviating intracranial pressure.
Keywords: Cerebral edema, Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, Papilledema, Pseudotumor cerebri
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Acknowledgments
Amirah Nicole Hill, DO contributed to the work but does not qualify for authorship.
Author ContributionsNga Tran - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
James Liu - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Paige Harrison - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Jefferson Jones II - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2023 Nga Tran et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
