Walsh & Hoyt: Papilledema: Terminology

Papilledema is one of the most alarming signs in clinical medicine. Papilledema specifically refers to swelling of the optic disc resulting from increased intracranial pressure (ICP). The term papilledema is often loosely applied to any type of swelling of the optic disc regardless of the etiology. Although the literal interpretation of papilledema encompasses optic nerve head swelling from any cause, the term has evolved to connote a particular, ingrained meaning to ophthalmologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons. Therefore, other forms of disc swelling caused by local or systemic processes should be designated in general terms as optic disc edema and referenced to the presumed etiology (i.e., anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, optic nerve meningioma, etc.).