At some point if you are fortunate, some healthcare provider will begin to suspect that you have IIH. They will then begin the process of trying to prove it medically. Health care providers are under quite a lot of pressure to maintain something which they call the "standard of care". They can be held accountable by the Board Of Medicine, and Legal System for not documenting accurately or proving beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a valid reason for the treatments that they choose. For each and every diagnosis, there are is an excepted "Criteria" for diagnosis. These do not typically include your symptoms, but rather the signs of the condition.
Providers utilize the "Dandy Criteria" to diagnose IIH.
This includes listening to your symptoms and evaluating the signs of the condition to determine what testing may be necessary to prove medically that this is the problem.
The following is taken from the IIH Research Foundation's Website at:
www.ihrfoundation.org/intracranial/hypertension/info/C72.
This is a very valuable resource for IIH patients and families to utilize when trying to learn about this condition.
The Modified Dandy Criteria for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension is the official criteria used to diagnose IIH. According to the Dandy criteria, an IIH diagnosis is appropriate if a person:
• has signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, such as papilledema and headache;
• has no localizing findings on neurological examination (Localizing findings are findings that point to injury of specific brain areas. For instance, a localizing finding could be the inability to move a certain muscle.);
• has a normal MRI/CT scan with no evidence of venous obstructive disease;
• has high intracranial pressure of 250mm/H2O or above on a spinal tap, with no abnormalities of cerebrospinal fluid;
• is awake and alert;
• has no other cause of increased intracranial pressure found.
Intracranial pressure can be measured in millimeters (mm)/water or centimeters (cm)/water. For example, a reading of 200mm/H2O is equal to 20cm/H2O.
The image below depicts the procedure for a Lumbar Puncture or Spinal tap. A clear tube is attached to the needle when the spinal colum is first accessed. The CSF or Cerebrospinal fluid then rises within this tube. When it stops rising, this is the reading of opening pressure.
For adults:
Normal pressure readings are generally below 200mm/H2O. In the lateral decubitus position
A normal opening pressure is less then 18 cm of water. or 180mm/H20.
Borderline high pressure readings are between 200-250mm/H2O.
Anything above 250mm/H2O is considered a high pressure reading.
For young children:
Anything above 200 mm/H2O is considered a high pressure reading.
However, some discrepensies exist as to what consititiues a normal pressure reading.
It is important that when you do have your spinal tap, that you be lying in the lateral decubitus position. This is on your side, with your legs as straight as they can be without you rolling over. And that you be completely relaxed.
Pressure readings done during spinal taps when patients are sitting upright, are usually elevated and can not really be relied upon to diagnose.
Providers utilize the "Dandy Criteria" to diagnose IIH.
This includes listening to your symptoms and evaluating the signs of the condition to determine what testing may be necessary to prove medically that this is the problem.
The following is taken from the IIH Research Foundation's Website at:
www.ihrfoundation.org/intracranial/hypertension/info/C72.
This is a very valuable resource for IIH patients and families to utilize when trying to learn about this condition.
The Modified Dandy Criteria for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension is the official criteria used to diagnose IIH. According to the Dandy criteria, an IIH diagnosis is appropriate if a person:
• has signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, such as papilledema and headache;
• has no localizing findings on neurological examination (Localizing findings are findings that point to injury of specific brain areas. For instance, a localizing finding could be the inability to move a certain muscle.);
• has a normal MRI/CT scan with no evidence of venous obstructive disease;
• has high intracranial pressure of 250mm/H2O or above on a spinal tap, with no abnormalities of cerebrospinal fluid;
• is awake and alert;
• has no other cause of increased intracranial pressure found.
Intracranial pressure can be measured in millimeters (mm)/water or centimeters (cm)/water. For example, a reading of 200mm/H2O is equal to 20cm/H2O.
The image below depicts the procedure for a Lumbar Puncture or Spinal tap. A clear tube is attached to the needle when the spinal colum is first accessed. The CSF or Cerebrospinal fluid then rises within this tube. When it stops rising, this is the reading of opening pressure.
For adults:
Normal pressure readings are generally below 200mm/H2O. In the lateral decubitus position
A normal opening pressure is less then 18 cm of water. or 180mm/H20.
Borderline high pressure readings are between 200-250mm/H2O.
Anything above 250mm/H2O is considered a high pressure reading.
For young children:
Anything above 200 mm/H2O is considered a high pressure reading.
However, some discrepensies exist as to what consititiues a normal pressure reading.
It is important that when you do have your spinal tap, that you be lying in the lateral decubitus position. This is on your side, with your legs as straight as they can be without you rolling over. And that you be completely relaxed.
Pressure readings done during spinal taps when patients are sitting upright, are usually elevated and can not really be relied upon to diagnose.