Undiagnosed papilledema in a morbidly obese patient population: a prospective study

Asymptomatic idiopathic intracranial hypertension: Prevalence and prognosis

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the presentation and prognosis of asymptomatic idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Papilloedema can be found incidentally on routine fundus examination, with many of these patients actually having symptoms on direct questioning. The aim was to evaluate visual and headache outcomes in people with IIH who present with or without symptoms.

METHODS

Prospective observational cohort study, between 2012 and 2021, 343 people with confirmed IIH diagnosis were enrolled in the IIH:Life database. Outcomes such as vision (LogMAR); Humphrey visual field perimetric mean deviation (PMD) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) and headache were evaluated using LOESS (locally weighted scatterplot smoothing) graphs and regression analysis.

RESULTS

One hundred and twenty-one people had incidentally found papilloedema, with 36 people with completely asymptomatic presentations. Those with asymptomatic IIH at diagnosis had similar visual prognosis compared to those with symptomatic disease. Sixty-six percent of the asymptomatic cohort became symptomatic during follow-up, and of these the predominant symptom was headache (96%). Headache frequency during follow-up was lower in the asymptomatic cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis of those with IIH who present with or without symptoms is similar.

Clinical course of asymptomatic patients with papilledema from idiopathic intracranial hypertension

OBJECTIVE

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is defined as elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) with normal cerebrospinal fluid content in the absence of an identifiable cause. Patients often experience symptoms related to elevated ICP (e.g., headache); however, a subgroup of patients with elevated ICP may have optic disc edema without any associated symptoms. There are limited data about this subgroup in the literature. Our aim in this study was to characterize the initial clinical findings and visual outcomes over the follow-up period in this group of asymptomatic patients.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of all patients who were referred to the neuro-ophthalmology service at Baylor College of Medicine for evaluation of papilledema between January 2012 and June 2020. Medical records of 139 consecutive patients with papilledema were reviewed. Patients were included in the analysis if they met the criteria for the diagnosis of IIH, had bilateral optic disc edema, and did not have any symptoms of elevated ICP.

RESULTS

Of the 139 charts reviewed, 5 patients met the inclusion criteria. All 5 patients were female with a mean age of 25.2 years (range, 13-48 years). The mean body mass index was 36.3 kg/m2 (range, 31.5-40 kg/m2), and the mean follow-up period was 3 years (range, 12 months-5 years).

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that the disease course for patients who present with asymptomatic IIH can be variable, yet still visually significant. Despite the absence of symptoms, patients can progress to symptomatic disease or experience persistent optic disc swelling or pallor even with the use of medication to lower ICP. To our knowledge, this is the first retrospective study characterizing the clinical course of papilledema from IIH in asymptomatic individuals.

Bariatric surgery-what the ophthalmologist needs to know

The incidence of bariatric surgery is increasing due to obesity being one of our top public health challenges. As such, bariatric-related ophthalmic changes are a potentially new clinical area of knowledge, with increasing published evidence on post-bariatric complications experienced by patients and identified by clinicians. We reviewed the available literature and summarised the different complications and potential recommendations. A search strategy was conducted with PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, Embase, Allied and Complementary Medicine and DH-DATA databases to look for papers answering our research question: "What are the ophthalmological complications for patients after bariatric surgery?". Our search gave a total of 59 relevant papers. Bariatric surgery, particularly subtypes that cause direct bypass of nutrients from the stomach, lead to nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin A, crucial for proper functioning of body systems and specialised cells, manifests ophthalmologically as corneal ulceration, nyctalopia, conjunctival xerosis and more. Thiamine levels are also depleted, leading to Wernicke's Encephalopathy. Pre-existing diabetic retinopathy is also noted to worsen sub acutely, although evidence is conflicting. Patients undergoing surgery to treat idiopathic intracranial hypertension would have reduced IOP and resolving papilloedema. Other comorbidities of obesity like HBA1C levels, obstructive sleep apnoea, and metabolic syndrome also resolve post-surgery. History taking remains the cornerstone of medical practice. From the evidence, we suggest consideration of pre-surgery screening for ophthalmic pathology and post-operative monitoring of disease progression. Real-world data needs to continuously be analysed to create definitive management pathways that can help clinicians recognise ophthalmic complications early, improving patient outcomes.

The Pre-Lumbar puncture Intracranial Hypertension Scale (PLIHS): A practical scale to identify subjects with normal cerebrospinal fluid pressure in the management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) diagnosis requires lumbar puncture to measure cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. The Pre-Lumbar puncture Intracranial Hypertension Scale (PLIHS) is aimed to detect cases that will show raised or normal CSF opening pressure.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of records of patients who underwent lumbar puncture for suspect IIH. The target was CSF opening pressure ≥ 250 mmH2O, whereas a set of known neurological, neuro-ophthalmological and neuro-radiological parameters, plus obesity, were used as predictors in a logistic regression model. The PLIHS was based on significant predictors and a cut-off was validated using chi-squared test around CSF opening pressure ≥ 250 and < 200 mmH2O.

RESULTS

Records of 162 patients were included: CSF opening pressure was <200 mmH2O in 40 and ≥ 250 mmH2O in 95 patients; 85 fulfilled IIH diagnosis. PLIHS is based on Frisén grade 2 or higher papilledema, tinnitus, empty sella, perioptic subarachnoid space distension, and obesity. Score range is 0-7: correlation with CSF opening pressure is 0.508 (p < .001), and PLIHS score is different between subjects not diagnosed with IIH, and those diagnosed with IIH both with and without papilledema (p < .001). PLIHS score ≤ 2 identifies cerebrospinal fluid pressure < 200 mmH2O; PLIHS score ≥ 3 identifies CSF opening pressure ≥ 250 mmH2O, IIH diagnosis, visual acuity ≤0.7, and optic nerve atrophy.

CONCLUSIONS

The PLIHS, can be used to identify patients who will particularly need LP, thus helping with the organization of the diagnostic work-up by optimising healthcare resources and potentially limit the likelihood to incur in LP-related adverse events.

Demographics, Clinical Characteristics, and Management of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension in Kuwait: A Single-Center Experience

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) affects predominantly obese females during their reproductive age period. The demographics of this condition has not been studied in Kuwait before. Objectives: To determine the demographics, clinical features, risk factors, and treatment modalities of IIH in the main neurology tertiary referral hospital in Kuwait and to compare our data with literature. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to identify cases of IIH seen between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018. Patients were diagnosed in and referred from the neurology and neuro-ophthalmology clinics. Results: Our cohort consisted of 139 patients. We estimated a crude annual incidence rate of IIH of 3.28 per 100,000 population. Female-to-male ratio was 9.6:1. Mean age was 32.1 ± 10.8 years. Mean age of males was 31.46 ± 12.63 and that of females was 32.11 ± 10.67. The median of the duration from the first symptoms till diagnosis was 6 weeks (2-10 weeks). Headache was the most common symptom in 134 (96.4%) patients, followed by visual disturbances in 85 (61.2%) patients, transient visual obscurations (TVOs) in 84 (60.4%) patients, pulsatile tinnitus in 72 (51.8%) patients, diplopia in 22 (15.8%) patients, other symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, radicular neck, and back pain) in 19 (13.7%) patients, and 1 (0.7%) patient had facial weakness. High body mass index (BMI) was seen in 89.9% of patients, either overweight or obese, and it was the most common risk factors in both males (46.2%) and females (61.1%). Anemia was found in 38.1%; 21.6% of patients used OCPs and 7.9% used vitamin A. Bilateral transverse sinus stenosis (BTSS) was detected in 47 (33.8%) patients. Only 2 (1.4%) patients developed "fulminant IIH" characterized by rapidly progressive disease. All the patients received medical treatment and only 12 (8.6%) needed surgical management. Conclusion: Incidence of IIH in Kuwait is similar to other regional studies but higher than Western studies. Demographics and clinical features of IIH in our study are comparable to international and regional figures. Most of our patients had a benign course. IIH is more prevalent in females and strongly associated with obesity.

Detection of Papilloedema Study (DOPS): rates of false positive papilloedema in the community

BACKGROUND

Overdiagnosis of papilloedema is common and carries significant potential for morbidity from over-investigation and over-treatment. We aimed to determine the community prevalence of false positive diagnosis of papilloedema (FPE) on fundus imaging.

METHODS

We evaluated fundus images from a community cross-section of 198 12-14-year-olds from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) longitudinal cohort study database and patient images from our hospital departmental database with and without papilloedema. We asked clinicians, in isolation, to rate the subjects as a forced choice task to "papilloedema" or "not papilloedema" based on the fundus images alone. Raters comprised (i) four neuro-ophthalmologists, (ii) four ophthalmologists, (iii) four neurologists and (iv) four emergency medicine physicians.

RESULTS

The prevalence of FPE in the ALSPAC population, defined as images mistaken as papilloedema by χ% of raters (P_χ) varied from P₁₀₀ = 0% to P₅₀ = 21.3 ± 3.9%. In the hospital population, there was a lower rate of FPE, P₅₀ = 7.1 ± 10.8%. Sensitivity for papilloedema detection approached 100%, though three raters incorrectly labelled the same patient with unilateral disc swelling as normal, all other cases were detected by all raters.

CONCLUSIONS

Fundus photography assessment in isolation is highly sensitive but poorly specific for papilloedema detection. Using this method to screen the general population has significant potential for harm as overdiagnosis occurs, even in the hands of experienced clinicians.

ASMBS pediatric metabolic and bariatric surgery guidelines, 2018

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Pediatric Committee updated their evidence-based guidelines published in 2012, performing a comprehensive literature search (2009-2017) with 1387 articles and other supporting evidence through February 2018. The significant increase in data supporting the use of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) in adolescents since 2012 strengthens these guidelines from prior reports. Obesity is recognized as a disease; treatment of severe obesity requires a life-long multidisciplinary approach with combinations of lifestyle changes, nutrition, medications, and MBS. We recommend using modern definitions of severe obesity in children with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention age- and sex-matched growth charts defining class II obesity as 120% of the 95th percentile and class III obesity as 140% of the 95th percentile. Adolescents with class II obesity and a co-morbidity (listed in the guidelines), or with class III obesity should be considered for MBS. Adolescents with cognitive disabilities, a history of mental illness or eating disorders that are treated, immature bone growth, or low Tanner stage should not be denied treatment. MBS is safe and effective in adolescents; given the higher risk of adult obesity that develops in childhood, MBS should not be withheld from adolescents when severe co-morbidities, such as depressed health-related quality of life score, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis exist. Early intervention can reduce the risk of persistent obesity as well as end organ damage from long standing co-morbidities.

Bariatric Surgery and the Neuro-Ophthalmologist

BACKGROUND

As the prevalence of obesity increases, so, too, do the prevalences of weight-related diseases and surgical procedures to promote weight loss. It is important for neuro-ophthalmologists to be familiar with these procedures and possible downstream effects on afferent and efferent visual function.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Review of ophthalmology, neurology, general surgery, obesity, endocrinology, nutrition, psychiatry, and neurosurgery literature.

RESULTS

Bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment for weight loss in obese individuals. There is Level IV evidence that it is associated with improvement in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Laboratory nutrient deficiencies are common following some types of bariatric procedures. Symptomatic deficiencies are less common but can be devastating. Thiamine deficiency can cause nystagmus and other symptoms in weeks to months after surgery, whereas B12 or copper deficiency can cause optic neuropathy in years to decades following bariatric surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Bariatric surgery is a potential treatment for IIH. Postoperative vitamin deficiencies may cause nystagmus, optic neuropathy, nyctalopia, and/or ophthalmoparesis weeks to years after surgery.

Neurological Complications of Bariatric Surgery

Obesity has attained pandemic proportions, and bariatric surgery is increasingly being employed resulting in turn to more neurological complications which must be recognized and managed. Neurological complications may result from mechanical or inflammatory mechanisms but primarily result from micro-nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin B12, thiamine, and copper constitute the most frequent deficiencies. Neurological complications may occur at reasonably predictable times after bariatric surgery and are associated with the type of surgery used. During the early post-operative period, compressive or stretch peripheral nerve injury, rhabdomyolysis, Wernicke's encephalopathy, and inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy may occur. Late complications ensue after months to years and include combined system degeneration (vitamin B12 deficiency) and hypocupric myelopathy. Bariatric surgery patients require careful nutritional follow-up with routine monitoring of micronutrients at 6 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months post-operatively and then annually after surgery and multivitamin supplementation for life. Sustained vigilance for common and rare neurological complications is essential.

Understanding idiopathic intracranial hypertension: mechanisms, management, and future directions

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is a disorder characterised by raised intracranial pressure that predominantly affects young, obese women. Pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated, but several causal factors have been proposed. Symptoms can include headaches, visual loss, pulsatile tinnitus, and back and neck pain, but the clinical presentation is highly variable. Although few studies have been done to support evidence-based management, several recent advances have the potential to enhance understanding of the causes of the disease and to guide treatment decisions. Investigators of the Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial (IIHTT) reported beneficial effects of acetazolamide in patients with mild visual loss. Studies have also established weight loss as an effective disease-modifying treatment, and further clinical trials to investigate new treatments are underway. The incidence of idiopathic intracranial hypertension is expected to increase as rates of obesity increase; efforts to reduce diagnostic delays and identify new, effective approaches to treatment will be key to meeting the needs of a growing number of patients.

The idiopathic intracranial hypertension treatment trial: clinical profile at baseline

IMPORTANCE

To our knowledge, there are no large prospective cohorts of untreated patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) to characterize the disease.

OBJECTIVE

To report the baseline clinical and laboratory features of patients enrolled in the Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

We collected data at baseline from questionnaires, examinations, automated perimetry, and fundus photography grading. Patients (n = 165) were enrolled from March 17, 2010, to November 27, 2012, at 38 academic and private practice sites in North America. All participants met the modified Dandy criteria for IIH and had a perimetric mean deviation between -2 dB and -7 dB. All but 4 participants were women.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Baseline and laboratory characteristics.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) age of our patients was 29.0 (7.4) years and 4 (2.4%) were men. The average (SD) body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) was 39.9 (8.3). Headache was the most common symptom (84%). Transient visual obscurations occurred in 68% of patients, back pain in 53%, and pulse synchronous tinnitus in 52%. Only 32% reported visual loss. The average (SD) perimetric mean deviation in the worst eye was -3.5 (1.1) dB, (range, -2.0 to -6.4 dB) and in the best eye was -2.3 (1.1) dB (range, -5.2 to 0.8 dB). A partial arcuate visual field defect with an enlarged blind spot was the most common perimetric finding. Visual acuity was 85 letters or better (20/20) in 71% of the worst eyes and 77% of the best eyes. Quality of life measures, including the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 and the Short Form-36 physical and mental health summary scales, were lower compared with population norms.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial represents the largest prospectively analyzed cohort of untreated patients with IIH. Our data show that IIH is almost exclusively a disease of obese young women. Patients with IIH with mild visual loss have typical symptoms, may have mild acuity loss, and have visual field defects, with predominantly arcuate loss and enlarged blind spots that require formal perimetry for detection.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01003639.