The increase in pressure is from making too much spinal fluid, not absorbing it at a normal rate, or a combination of both. Some times these symptoms are minimized by physicians as well as others since this syndrome tends to happen more to women. The main means of treating pseudotumor is to relieve symptoms. Medications that decrease the production of spinal fluid or increase its absorption are used quite frequently. In doing this the headache and pressure on the optic nerve, which causes the vision loss, is relieved to some point.
Spinal taps drain some of the fluid, but within a day that pressure starts to build again.
Shunting is another means of relieving this pressure. A small-diameter tube is placed either in the head or spinal column, with a one way pressure sensitive valve in it,that drains the excess fluid to another place in the body to be absorbed. Another procedure that is done is primarily to relieve the vision problems associated with pseudotumor. It is called an Optic Nerve Sheath Fenestration, meaning they put slits into the sheath that covers the optic nerve to relieve the pressure. There have been many theories about pseudotumor over the years.