IIH

Medical abbreviation · Neurology

IIH stands for Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a neurology abbreviation.

Raised pressure of the fluid around the brain without a mass or other identifiable cause, mostly affecting women of childbearing age with obesity. It causes daily headaches, pulsatile ringing in the ears, transient visual dimming and swelling of the optic discs that can threaten vision.

Example: Headache and bilateral papilledema in a 27-year-old, MRI normal, opening pressure 34 cm H2O: IIH.

Usage notes

Diagnosis requires a lumbar puncture opening pressure of 25 cm of water or more in adults with normal CSF composition and imaging. Weight loss and acetazolamide are mainstays, supported by the IIH Treatment Trial (2014), and vision is monitored closely. Optic nerve sheath fenestration, venous sinus stenting or shunting are used when vision is threatened.

Related abbreviations

More neurology abbreviations

• HA – Headache
• HD – Huntington's disease
• HIE – Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
• HINTS – Head Impulse, Nystagmus, Test of Skew
• ICH – Intracerebral hemorrhage
• ICP – Intracranial pressure
• IVH – Intraventricular hemorrhage
• JME – Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
• LBD – Lewy body dementia
• LEMS – Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome
• LKW – Last known well
• LMN – Lower motor neuron

See all 131 neurology abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.