A bulging fontanel in an infant is generally regarded as a sign of serious central nervous system disease. It may be caused by meningitis, hydrocephalus, cerebral hemorrhage, brain abscess, or tumor. Benign intracranial hypertension, a syndrome of increased intracranial pressure with a normal ventricular system and a cerebrospinal fluid of normal composition, also will produce a bulging fontanel. Hypoparathyroidism,1 hypovitaminosis A,2,3 hypervitaminosis A,4 hypophosphatasia,5 marked anemia,6 chlortetracycline therapy,7 Addison's disease,8 and pulmonary emphysema,9 have been reported as causes of benign intracranial hypertension. Scattered reports10,11,12 of the association of roseola infantum with a bulging fontanel have appeared in the literature. The following report of 2 cases is being presented as further illustration of this disease as a cause of benign intracranial hypertension.
Case 1.—A 5-month-old white boy was in good health until 3 days prior to admission, when the mother noted that