[Idiopathic intracranial hypertension--what's new in 2012?]

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a syndrome characterized by elevated intracranial pressure, without evidence of intracranial mass lesion or venous thrombosis on brain imaging. The syndrome mainly occurs in young, fertile and overweight women, but may emerge in any age group, even in young children or individuals over 45 years of age. The incidence of the disease in Israel is similar to that of other developed countries, approximately 1:100,000. This syndrome's most prominent symptom is headaches, which are reported by approximately 90% of the patients. Other symptoms are transient visual obscurations, tinnitus, or diplopia. Some patients may be asymptomatic, and only diagnosed after having undergone routine fundus examination; however, this is more common in children. Treatment is based on weight loss. The medical therapy prescribed is carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, especially: acetazolamide, and in severe cases, surgery may be indicated. The syndrome is paroxysmal by nature, and an attack may develop even after periods of remission; therefore, a long continuous follow-up is needed to monitor disease progression, and to intervene in time. The etiology of the disease is unknown. Nevertheless, new data has emerged in past years, and the goal of this review is to describe the syndrome and present new recently published information.