Papilledema, please help?!
Question: Papilledema, please help!?
I was diagnosed with Papilledema, so I had an MRI and spinal tap!. I do not have a tumor and I do not have a high pressure reading from the spinal tap (It was an 18)!. I am not looking for a diagnosis, but I was wondering if anyone has seen this before!? I am trying to find out what the underlying problem is, but all the DR's seem to be stumped!. Any ideas that I can bring up at my next DR's visit!?
I have seen numerous DR's and nobody seems to know!.
Thank you in advance for your time!!!!Www@Answer-Health@Com
I have seen numerous DR's and nobody seems to know!.
Thank you in advance for your time!!!!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
The fact that you do not have a brain tumor nor high spinal fluid pressure means that the more appropriate diagnosis should probably be PSEUDO papilledema!. This means that the optic nerve is elevated and looks swollen but is not being caused by a disease process!. Sometimes a cause is never found!. Pseudopapilledema, though, does seem to many times fit certain risk factors!. Most cases of pseudopapilledema occur in one or more of the following situations!.
1) Relatively young!.
2) Female!.
3) Overweight!.
Some cases of pseudopapilledema are caused by "drusen bodies" buried deeply within the nerve!. But, I doubt this is your case because they would have been seen in the MRI!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
1) Relatively young!.
2) Female!.
3) Overweight!.
Some cases of pseudopapilledema are caused by "drusen bodies" buried deeply within the nerve!. But, I doubt this is your case because they would have been seen in the MRI!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Papilledema is related to increased intracraneal pressure!. But a swollen nerve head isn't necessarily related!. Any inflammatory condition, for instance Temporal Arteritis (older people >55 or so) presents with a swollen nervehead!. Multiple Sclerosis can!. Any venous occlusive type of blockage could present this way or a tumor behind the eye causing congestion of the nervehead!. Some types of uveitis, again inflammatory in nature present this way!. Some people have 'strangled' nerveheads just because of the nature of their anatomy and have no disease at all!.
If you've ruled out the important causes, such as intracraneal tumors, increased intracraneal pressure, inflammation, orbital tumors or vascular defects, demyelinating disease, diabetes, Luetic disease, Tuberculosis, Sarcoidosis or collagen vascular diseases, etc!.!.!.!. you may not ever find the 'diagnosis'!.
In your workup is your field abnormal!? Did they do a VER and see if the impulse is delayed going to the brain!? Did they do blood studies such as Sed rate, glucose, WBC with differential, Hemoglobin type, etc!.!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
If you've ruled out the important causes, such as intracraneal tumors, increased intracraneal pressure, inflammation, orbital tumors or vascular defects, demyelinating disease, diabetes, Luetic disease, Tuberculosis, Sarcoidosis or collagen vascular diseases, etc!.!.!.!. you may not ever find the 'diagnosis'!.
In your workup is your field abnormal!? Did they do a VER and see if the impulse is delayed going to the brain!? Did they do blood studies such as Sed rate, glucose, WBC with differential, Hemoglobin type, etc!.!?Www@Answer-Health@Com