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A study of the causes of bilateral optic disc swelling in Japanese patients
Authors Iijima K, Shimizu K, Ichibe Y
Received 31 January 2014
Accepted for publication 9 April 2014
Published 8 July 2014 Volume 2014:8 Pages 1269—1274
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S61650
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 4
Kei Iijima, Kimiya Shimizu, Yoshiaki Ichibe
Department of Ophthalmology, Kitasato University, Kanagawa, Japan
Purpose: To investigate the etiology of bilateral disc swelling in Japanese.
Methods: Using Kitasato University’s Department of Neuro-Ophthalmology medical records and fundus photographs of the period December 1977 through November 2010, we retrospectively identified 121 outpatients who had been initially confirmed with bilateral disc swelling.
Results: The most common cause of the bilateral disc swelling was increased intracranial pressure (ICP) (59%); followed by pseudopapillitis (16%); uveitis (8%); hypertensive retinopathy (5%); bilateral optic neuritis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and optic disc drusen (all at 2% each); and leukemia (1%). Unknown etiology accounted for 6% of the cases.
Conclusion: Although increased ICP is the most common etiology for bilateral disc swelling, it can also be triggered by a variety of other causes. Pseudopapillitis is the most important progenitor of bilateral disc swelling in Japanese.
Keywords: bilateral, disc swelling, papilledema, increased ICP, intracranial pressure
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