Idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a case report with optic nerve histopathology

We present the clinical and pathologic findings in an atypical case of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. A 51-year-old man had headaches, visual deterioration, papilloedema, and deafness. Neuroimaging was normal, and cerebrospinal fluid pressure monitoring confirmed increased intracranial pressure. The patient was treated with a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. Histopathology revealed grossly atrophic optic nerves with almost complete axonal loss. The prelaminar portion of the optic nerves was thickened by gliosis and hyalinized capillaries, which have not been described previously.