FAMILIAL IDIOPATHIC INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION WITH SPINAL AND RADICULAR PAIN

Objective: To describe a mother and her 2 sons affected by idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), associated in the sons with root irri tation symptom. Unlike the other 4 families reported previously, obesi ty was not present in our patients. Design: Case reports. Setting: Dep artment of pediatrics in a university school of Medicine, Naples, Ital y. Patients: A mother (aged 36 years) and her 2 sons (aged 14 and 9 ye ars) developed IIH at different times. Neuroimaging showed an empty se lla in the mother, while IIH was associated with spinal and radicular pain in her 2 sons. The mother and the younger son developed permanent visual loss. Conclusions: Ophthalmologic follow-up in our patients in dicates that IIH is a chronic disease. Surgical treatment should be co nsidered an option.