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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Could I have pseudotumor celebri? Doctors can not find anything wrong with me! Very frustrated!
Answered by
Esteban Cheng-Ching, MD - Neurology, Internal Medicine
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland - OH
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury.
Could I have pseudotumor celebri? Doctors can not find anything wrong with me! Very frustrated!
by Ayleen44, Dec 18, 2008 09:27AM
Doctors and my neurologist keeps on telling me I have anxiety.
I feel pressure on my head and behind my eyes.
I am having memory loss.
I get sharp pain headaches.
I am always dizzy!
I feel derealization.
I see dark at times- I feel like I lose my vision for a few seconds.
I hear swooshing noises along with my heartbeat especially when I lay down.
I'm starting to suspect pseudotumor celebri.
I am a young woman who is overweight. ( I was reading that overweight young women have a larger chance of having PTC)
I've taken birth control pills before ( to normalize my heavy periods )
I've had CT scans and Carotid Ultrasounds.
Everything looks normal.
My blood pressure is also normal.
But they always say it's anxiety.
What tests can be done for this? To see if it's PTC or not?
I feel pressure on my head and behind my eyes.
I am having memory loss.
I get sharp pain headaches.
I am always dizzy!
I feel derealization.
I see dark at times- I feel like I lose my vision for a few seconds.
I hear swooshing noises along with my heartbeat especially when I lay down.
I'm starting to suspect pseudotumor celebri.
I am a young woman who is overweight. ( I was reading that overweight young women have a larger chance of having PTC)
I've taken birth control pills before ( to normalize my heavy periods )
I've had CT scans and Carotid Ultrasounds.
Everything looks normal.
My blood pressure is also normal.
But they always say it's anxiety.
What tests can be done for this? To see if it's PTC or not?
Doctor's Answer
by Esteban Cheng-Ching, MD, Dec 20, 2008 08:58AM
, Dec 20, 2008 08:58AM
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.
Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what your symptoms are from. However, I will try to provide you with some information.
The symptoms that you have can be present in patients with Pseudotumor Cerebri, however they are not specific, and can be found in other conditions, and another structural causes should be ruled out before being able to make a diagnosis of PTC. The usual initial work up includes brain scans, preferably an MRI to rule out lesions seen in the brain.
If there is no other cause for your symptoms, Pseudotumor cerebri can be diagnosed with the following:
-Symptoms and signs of increased intracranial pressure (Headache, visual symptoms, “papilledema”).
-No other neurologic abnormalities.
-Increased intracranial pressure with normal CSF. For this you will need a spinal tap to measure the pressure and the fluid.
-As I said, neuroimaging showing no other problem causing the intracranial high pressure.
An ophthalmologic exam is needed, to find out if you have swelling of your optic discs, and this is very important, as PTC tends to affect this, and this finding should be determined sooner rather than later. With this, visual field testing may be needed as well.
As I said, without being able to obtain a detailed history and examine you, I cannot make a diagnosis.
I think you should discuss your concerns with your neurologist and consider the further work up for pseudotumor, making sure there is nothing else causing your symptoms.
I hope this information is useful. Good luck.
Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what your symptoms are from. However, I will try to provide you with some information.
The symptoms that you have can be present in patients with Pseudotumor Cerebri, however they are not specific, and can be found in other conditions, and another structural causes should be ruled out before being able to make a diagnosis of PTC. The usual initial work up includes brain scans, preferably an MRI to rule out lesions seen in the brain.
If there is no other cause for your symptoms, Pseudotumor cerebri can be diagnosed with the following:
-Symptoms and signs of increased intracranial pressure (Headache, visual symptoms, “papilledema”).
-No other neurologic abnormalities.
-Increased intracranial pressure with normal CSF. For this you will need a spinal tap to measure the pressure and the fluid.
-As I said, neuroimaging showing no other problem causing the intracranial high pressure.
An ophthalmologic exam is needed, to find out if you have swelling of your optic discs, and this is very important, as PTC tends to affect this, and this finding should be determined sooner rather than later. With this, visual field testing may be needed as well.
As I said, without being able to obtain a detailed history and examine you, I cannot make a diagnosis.
I think you should discuss your concerns with your neurologist and consider the further work up for pseudotumor, making sure there is nothing else causing your symptoms.
I hope this information is useful. Good luck.
