PAPILLEDEMA

Course overview

PAPILLEDEMA IS A DISEASE ENTITY THAT REFERS TO THE SWELLING OF THE OPTIC DISC DUE TO ELEVATED INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE (ICP). THIS TERM SHOULD BE DISTINGUISHED FROM DISC EDEMA WHICH SPECIFIES A BROADER CATEGORY OF OPTIC DISC SWELLING SECONDARY TO OTHER ETIOLOGIES. ALSO, IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT ICP MAY ELEVATE IN THE ABSENCE OF OPTIC DISC SWELLING. PAPILLEDEMA IS USUALLY SEEN BILATERALLY BUT CAN BE SEEN ASYMMETRICALLY AND RARELY UNILATERALLY. IT CAN BE A RED FLAG SUGGESTING DISEASE ENTITIES THAT CAUSE ELEVATED ICP SUCH AS BRAIN TUMORS, CEREBROSPINAL INFLAMMATION (INFECTIOUS AND NON-INFECTIOUS), AND IDIOPATHIC INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION (IIH). THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PAPILLEDEMA AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.