To describe a case of pseudotumor cerebri associated with the administration of intermediate-dose cytarabine. The patient improved after a lumbar puncture and treatment with prednisone and acetazolamide, and is now asymptomatic. Pseudotumor cerebri is a condition usually associated with obese women of child-bearing age.
Case reports in pediatric patients are unusual.
Chemotherapy agents reported to cause pseudotumor cerebri include busulfan with cyclophosphamide, and the combination of vinblastine, cisplatin, and bleomycin. Most of the information on medication-induced pseudotumor cerebri is in the form of case reports. Different mechanisms for causing this condition have been offered for individual medications. Controlled studies are difficult because this condition is an unpredictable and rare occurrence. Cytarabine has frequently been associated with neurologic toxicities, but few reports of pseudotumor cerebri can be found.