Rare Brain Condition Finally Gets Diagnosed

After experiencing debilitating symptoms for many years, Brandi was finally diagnosed with a rare brain condition after undergoing tests with a team of multidisciplinary specialists.

Brandi had been experiencing intermittent deafness for several years. In 2018, she started experiencing severe migraines, blurred vision, dizziness and black outs. An MRI showed that she had pressure on her brain. Despite visiting multiple neurologists for an explanation, no one could help Brandi with a diagnosis, and her symptoms persisted.

In 2021, Brandi visited the Executive Health Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Tests revealed she had high blood pressure and despite taking medication to control it, the pressure on her brain – and the symptoms – remained.

A multidisciplinary team of specialists, which included neurologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, and neurosurgeons, performed multiple tests and another MRI revealed Brandi had idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) – a condition that causes elevated pressure on the brain.

After extensive discussions with her entire medical team, Brandi decided the best course of treatment was to place a stent in her brain. The minimally invasive procedure places a tube in one of the veins which drains the fluid from the brain and reduces the pressure.

Brandi woke from surgery and the symptoms she had been experiencing for more than five years had disappeared.