Pseudotumor Cerebri: Disordered Cerebrospinal Fluid Hydrodynamics with Extra-Axial CSF Collections

Pseudotumor cerebri is uncommon in the pediatric age group and presents with clinical characteristics different from the adult form. We report a 5-year-old boy who presented with - seemingly spontaneous - alternating subdural CSF collections before progressing to develop pseudotumor cerebri. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a presentation. In the prepubertal pediatric age group, pseudotumor cerebri may be associated with multiple etiologic factors (more than in the adult population). The exact common mechanism behind such a disorder is not known. Pseudotumor cerebri may be a disorder of CSF hydrodynamics. It may also be linked to other disorders of CSF hydrodynamics, as in our case. The exact link and mechanistic differences between these apparently related disorders deserve further analysis and investigation, possibly through dynamic MRI techniques. Copyright (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.