Liu G T, Volpe N J, Schatz N J, Galetta S L, Farrar J T, Raps E C
Department of Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
Am J Ophthalmol. 1996 Jul;122(1):129-31. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9394(14)71981-6.
Severe vistral acuity loss associated with pseudotumor cerebri is usually caused by chronic optic disk edema or a retinal abnormality.
We treated a women, with known pseudotumor cerebri treated with a lumboperitoneal shunt, who developed acute pallied optic disk swelling and visual acuity of R.E.: no light perception and L.E.: 20/70 in association with lumboperitoneal shunt failure. There were no contributory retinal lesions.
The patient underwent optic nerve sheath fenestration and lumboperitoneal shunt revision. Visual acuity improved to 20/20 in both eyes. The papilledema resolved.
The severe sudden visual loss was attributed to axoplasmic stasis and optic nerve ischemia associated with a sudden rise in intracranial pressure.