Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T17:29:30.239Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

25 - Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

from SECTION III - SPECIFIC NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2009

Oliver W. Hayes
Affiliation:
Ingham Regional Medical Center Sparrow Hospital/MSU Emergency Medicine Residency Program Lansing, Michigan
Lara Kunschner
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sid M. Shah
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
Kevin M. Kelly
Affiliation:
Drexel University, Philadelphia
Get access

Summary

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is clinical syndrome of dementia, gait disturbance, and urinary incontinence that progresses over a period of weeks to years. Urinary incontinence, a late symptom, occurs in less than 50% of patients. If untreated, NPH progresses resulting in an inability to stand, akinetic rigidity, and withdrawn behavior. The differential diagnosis includes Parkinson's disease, bifrontal brain disease due to tumor, metastases, cerebral infarction, aqueductal stenosis, metabolic encephalopathy, and Alzheimer's disease. When NPH is suspected clinically, computerized tomography (with contrast enhancement) reveals ventriculomegaly, minimal or absence of cortical atrophy, periventricular lucencies, and nearly normal-sized subarachnoid space. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the study of choice to evaluate ventriculomegaly and functional imaging of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. The role of the emergency physician is to consider the diagnosis of NPH in patients with dementia and gait disturbance and to initiate appropriate referral.
Type
Chapter
Information
Principles and Practice of Emergency Neurology
Handbook for Emergency Physicians
, pp. 260 - 262
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, R D, Fisher, C M, Hakim, S, Ojemann, R G, Sweet, W H. Symptomatic occult hydrocephalus with “normal” cerebrospinal fluid pressure: a treatable syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1965; 273: 117–26CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malm, J, Kristensen, B, Karlson, T, Fagerlund, M, Elfvevson, J, Ekstedt, J. The predictive value of cerebrospinal fluid dynamic tests in patients with idiopathic adult hydrocephalus syndrome. Arch Neurol. 1995; 52: 783–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ojemann, R G, Black, P M. Evaluation of the patient with dementia and treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus. Neurosurgery. 1985; 1: 312–21Google Scholar
Sahuqullo, J, Rubio, E, Codina, A, et al. Reappraisal of the intracranial pressure and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in patients with so-called “normal pressure hydrocephalus” syndrome. Acta Neurochir. 1991; 112: 50–61CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sorenson, P S, Jansen, E C, Gjerris, F. Motor disturbances in normal pressure hydrocephalus, special reference to stance and gait. Arch Neurol. 1986; 43: 34–8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vanneste, J, Augustijn, P, Tan, W F, Dirven, C. Shunting normal pressure hydrocephalus: the predictive value of combined clinical and CT data. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1993; 56: 251–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
    • By Oliver W. Hayes, Ingham Regional Medical Center Sparrow Hospital/MSU Emergency Medicine Residency Program Lansing, Michigan, Lara Kunschner, Department of Neurology Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Edited by Sid M. Shah, Michigan State University, Kevin M. Kelly, Drexel University, Philadelphia
  • Book: Principles and Practice of Emergency Neurology
  • Online publication: 06 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511547256.026
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
    • By Oliver W. Hayes, Ingham Regional Medical Center Sparrow Hospital/MSU Emergency Medicine Residency Program Lansing, Michigan, Lara Kunschner, Department of Neurology Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Edited by Sid M. Shah, Michigan State University, Kevin M. Kelly, Drexel University, Philadelphia
  • Book: Principles and Practice of Emergency Neurology
  • Online publication: 06 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511547256.026
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
    • By Oliver W. Hayes, Ingham Regional Medical Center Sparrow Hospital/MSU Emergency Medicine Residency Program Lansing, Michigan, Lara Kunschner, Department of Neurology Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Edited by Sid M. Shah, Michigan State University, Kevin M. Kelly, Drexel University, Philadelphia
  • Book: Principles and Practice of Emergency Neurology
  • Online publication: 06 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511547256.026
Available formats
×