Optic Nerve Tumor in a Child

A seven year old boy was found to have papilledema and optic nerve thickening on CAT scan. The child had a previous history of repeated bouts of intermittent ptosis and periorbital edema which were attributed to sinusitis, and not thought to be related to the present episode of papilledema. Of note, during this episode and in the past, the child had a visual acuity of 20/25 bilaterally. The child was referred to a neuro-surgeon for evaluation and exploratory surgery was performed, at which time a thickened nerve consistent with a possible glioma was noted. The eye was enucleated and the thickened optic nerve resected.