All Disc Swellings Are Not Papilledema

Authors

Vivek B Wani, Consultant Vitreoretina Surgeon, Department of Ophthalmology, Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital and MRC(KAHER), BelagaviFollow
Chaitra C. Shekhar, Post Graduate Student, Department of Ophthalmology, JNMC, KAHER, Belagavi
Deepashri Mutalik, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, JNMC, KAHER, Belagavi
Arvind Tenagi, Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, JNMC, KAHER, Belagavi

Keywords

Optic disc drusens, Papilledema, Disc swelling, Pseudopapilledema, Idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Abstract

Bilateral optic disc edema is called papilledema when it results from increased intracranial pressure. It is important to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to rule out lesions that obstruct or alter the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). If the MRI is normal, other organic causes of bilateral disc swelling are excluded, and a diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is considered, particularly in young female patients. Such patients are usually started on treatment for IIH. We report a case of bilateral optic disc swelling that was initially diagnosed as IIH and treated accordingly, but the swelling was actually due to the presence of optic disc drusen (ODD). We describe the clinical findings and investigations that helped us diagnose ODD as the cause of disc swelling and avoid unnecessary treatment in this patient.

Recommended Citation

Wani, Vivek B; Shekhar, Chaitra C.; Mutalik, Deepashri; and Tenagi, Arvind (2025) "All Disc Swellings Are Not Papilledema," Indian Journal of Health Sciences and Biomedical Research KLEU: Vol. 18: Iss. 3, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71355/2542-6222.1719
Available at: https://kleijhsbr.researchcommons.org/journal/vol18/iss3/7

Pages

279

Last Page

283