Background: Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC), also known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), is a condition associated with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) in the absence of radiographic findings such as mass lesions or cerebral edema.
Case description: We describe a case of progressive headache and visual disturbances attributed to PTC that resulted from subacute superior sagittal sinus (SSS) stenosis by a metastatic tumor.
Conclusions: Venous outflow obstruction often presents with an acute symptomatology including infarcts, hemorrhages, and seizures, but only rarely does it cause the progressive development of raised ICP. The sinister presentation of our patient's pathology stemmed from local mass effect caused by a tumor that has hitherto not been reported to cause intracranial hypertension (IH) and was best elucidated using magnetic resonance venography (MRV).
Keywords: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension; papilledema; pseudotumor cerebri; renal cell carcinoma; venous sinus compression.