A Case of False Foster-Kennedy Syndrome

Abstract

The etiology of Foster-Kennedy syndrome, also known as Kennedy’s syndrome or basilar frontal lobe syndrome, involves space-occupying lesions at the basilar part of the frontal lobe, such as abscess, hemangioma, meningioma of the sphenoid ridge, carotid atherosclerosis, arachnoiditis, and brain trauma. In typical Foster-Kennedy syndrome cases, unilateral tumor in the anterior cranial fossa compresses the ipsilateral optic nerve, resulting in ipsilateral optic atrophy, and meanwhile space-occupying lesions induce intracranial hypertension, leading to contralateral optic disc edema. The patient in the case below suffered from Foster-Kennedy syndrome with optic disc edema in one eye and a pale optic disc in the other. What is the mechanism behind this condition?