Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Brain and Development, cilt.47, sa.6, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition characterized by increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure without an identifiable cause. Although neuroimaging features are often used to support diagnosis, the relationship between CSF pressure and MRI findings remains unclear, particularly in pediatric populations. Objective: To investigate the association between CSF opening pressure and clinical as well as MRI features in children diagnosed with IIH. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 30 pediatric patients (aged 6–18 years) diagnosed with IIH between 2015 and 2020. Patients were divided into two groups based on CSF opening pressure: Group 1 (200–350 mm H₂O) and Group 2 (≥350 mm H₂O). Clinical symptoms and MRI features—including optic nerve sheath dilation, posterior globe flattening, optic nerve tortuosity, and transverse sinus stenosis—were compared between groups. Results: The mean CSF opening pressure was 363.8 mm H₂O. No statistically significant differences were observed between groups with respect to demographic features, clinical symptoms, or MRI abnormalities (p > 0.05). The most frequent imaging findings were posterior globe flattening (73.3 %) and optic nerve sheath dilation (70 %). Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between CSF opening pressure and optic nerve sheath dilation (r = 0.417, p = 0.022), with borderline correlations noted for optic nerve tortuosity (r = 0.358, p = 0.052) and transverse sinus stenosis (r = 0.438, p = 0.069). Discussion: CSF opening pressure alone did not distinguish clinical or imaging features between groups. However, higher pressures correlated with optic nerve sheath dilation and showed trends toward tortuosity and venous stenosis, suggesting these may be secondary markers of disease severity. Conclusion: Pediatric IIH appears multifactorial rather than purely pressure-driven. Multimodal evaluation is essential, and larger prospective studies are warranted to clarify the prognostic value of imaging correlates.