Cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure: The effect of body mass index and body composition

Objectives: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is strongly related to obesity. The relationship between intracranial pressure, body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat and distribution of body fat in non-IIH patients remains less clear. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between intracranial pressure and body type in non-IIH patients. Patients and Methods: Lumbar puncture manometry was used to measure cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure (CSFOP). BMI, in addition to neck, waist and hip circumferences were Journal Pre-proof calculated. Air displacement plethysmography (BODPOD) was used to assess body composition. Results: Data was collected from 100 subjects. 11 subjects with conditions known to cause raised intracranial pressure were excluded from analysis. According to Pearson correlation factors displaying a significant relationship with CSFOP included: BMI (R = 0.635, p<0.0001); waist circumference (R = 0.498, p<0.0001), hip circumference (R = 0.513, p<0.0001) and percentage body fat (R = 0.435, p