[Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of drusen of the optic papilla with special reference to computed tomography]

Drusen of the optic disk are the most common cause of pseudopapilloedema. They are frequently misdiagnosed as papilloedema in children and young adults. 32 patients were diagnosed of having optic disk drusen by high resolution CT. In 20 patients clinical proof could be established by ophthalmoscopic examination and fluorescein angiography. Heredofamiliarity was verified in 8 cases. The radiologist should be familiar with the computer tomographic appearance, ophthalmologic and funduscopic datas of this entity, as well as with problems in differential diagnosis. High resolution CT can depict ophthalmoscopically nonvisible "buried drusen" and superficially exposed drusen. This helps the referring physician to differentiate papilloedema from benign pseudopapilloedema, and protects from making the mistake of diagnosing more serious disorders such as retinoblastoma and optic nerve glioma, which produce calcification of the posterior globe too.