Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Measure Twice, Shunt Once

Executive Function Improvement in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Following Shunt Surgery

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate improvement of executive functions after shunt surgery in patients with early normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Patients with NPH were assessed before and after shunt surgery with tests shown to be sensitive to damage to the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Significant differences were found between basal and follow-up performances on the Boston Naming T...

Normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a reversible disorder characterized by gait impairment, subcortical dementia, and urinary urgency and incontinence associated with impaired cerebrospinal fluid circulation and ventriculomegaly. Treatment with shunt surgery is most likely to increase mobility, and may also improve dementia and urinary symptoms. An international, independent study group rece...

Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a potentially reversible neurodegenerative disease commonly characterized by a triad of dementia, gait, and urinary disturbance. Advancements in diagnosis and treatment have aided in properly identifying and improving symptoms in patients. However, a large proportion of iNPH patients remain either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Using PubMed searc...

Normal pressure hydrocephalus

Results: Forty-one patients underwent an invasive diagnostic procedure for evaluation of suspected NPH; 13 ultimately received shunts, representing an incidence of 1.19/100,000/year. The incidence of sustained definite improvements at 3 years after shunting was only 0.36/ 100,000/year. Definite gait improvement was documented in 75% at 3–6 months after shunt placement, although it dropped to 50...

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus