Remission of Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome after Initiating Pregnancy and Menarche: The Puzzling Role of Female Sex Hormones

Pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS) is a condition that encompasses both primary (idiopathic) and secondary causes of intracranial hypertension (e.g., medical conditions, venous sinus thrombosis, medications). Based on new criteria, idiopathic intracranial hypertension is now considered not synonymous with PTCS but rather a subset within primary PTCS.1 PTCS is a neurologic disorder of unclear etiology, characterized by increased intracranial pressure (ICP) without any radiographic evidence of abnormal brain parenchyma, and with normal chemical and cytologic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition.1 Even though occurring in both sexes and all age groups, the postpubertal disease typically affects overweight women of childbearing age.2 Notably, the overall incidence of PTCS is estimated to be 0.9 per 100,000 but rises to 19 per