scholarly journals Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Revisiting the Hydrodynamics of the Brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Hakim ◽  
Daniel Jaramillo-Velásquez ◽  
Martina González ◽  
Diego F. Gómez ◽  
Juan F. Ramón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Interesting Insight ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers ◽  
Exact Etiology ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunting

Normal pressure hydrocephalus syndrome is the most common form of hydrocephalus in the elderly and produces a dementia which can be reversible surgically. It is characterized by ventriculomegaly and the classic triad of symmetric gait disturbance, cognitive decline and urinary incontinence, also known as Hakim’s triad. To date, the exact etiology of the disease has not been elucidated and the only effective treatment is a cerebrospinal fluid shunting procedure which can be a ventriculoatrial, ventriculoperitoneal or lumboperitoneal shunt. The most important problem is the high rate of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis due to similarities in symptoms with other neurodegenerative disorders, and in some cases, coexistence. Hence, increasing awareness amongst the community and medical professionals in order to increase clinical suspicion, timely diagnosis and treatment are paramount. The best way to achieve this is by having a structured protocol with patient-centered tests that evaluates the entire myriad of alterations a clinician might encounter whenever treating patients with this disorder. Recent advances in imaging technology as well as cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers have given interesting insight into the pathophysiology of the disease and will certainly contribute greatly in diagnostic advancements. We finally present an institutional protocol which has been accredited by international peers with promising results in diagnostic and outcome rates.

scholarly journals Serial Tap Test of Patients With Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus - Impact on Cognitive Function and Its Meaning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samanta Fabricio Blattes da Rocha ◽  
Pedro Andre Kowacs ◽  
Ricardo Krause Martinez de Souza ◽  
Matheus Kahakura Franco Pedro ◽  
Ricardo Ramina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Protocol ◽  
Tap Test ◽  
Cognitive Improvement ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunting

Abstract BackgroundIdiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) is characterized by gait disturbance, urinary incontinence and cognitive decline. Symptoms are potentially reversible and treatment is based on cerebrospinal fluid shunting. The tap test (TT) is used to identify patients that will benefit from surgery. This procedure consists on the withdrawal of 20 to 50 mL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through a lumbar puncture (LP) after which the symptoms of the triad are tested. Improvement in the quality and speed of gait are already recognized but cognitive improvement depends on several factors such as tests used, time elapsed after LP for re-testing, and number of punctures. Serial punctures may trigger similar conditions as external lumbar drainage (ELD) to the organism. ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify how serial punctures affect cognition in order to increase the sensitivity of the test and consequently the accuracy of surgical indication. MethodsSixty-one patients with INPH underwent baseline memory and executive tests repeatedly following the 2-Step Tap Test protocol (2-STT – two procedures of 30 mL lumbar CSF drainage separated by a 24-hour interval). The baseline scores of INPH patients were compared with those of 55 healthy controls, and with intragroup post-puncture scores of the 2-STT. ResultsThe group with INPH had lower performance than the control group in all cognitive tests (RAVLT, Stroop, CFT, FAR-COWA, FAB, MMSE, orientation, mental control), except for the forward digit span test (p = 0.707). After conducting LP procedures, the Stroop test (words, colors and errors), RAVLT (stage A1, A6 and B1), and CFT (immediate and delayed R) scores were equal to those of the control group (p > 0.05). The INPH group presented significant improvement after the first puncture in MMSE (p = 0.031) and in the Stroop Test (points) (p < 0.001). After the second puncture, subjects improved in orientation, MMSE, RAVLT (B1), Stroop (points, words, errors) and CFT (IR). ConclusionProgressive cognitive improvement occurred over the 2-STT and changes were more significant after the second LP in all cognitive domains except for RAVLT (A7). Encephalic alert system ‘arousal’ seems to participate in early improvements observed during 2-STT. The second LP increased the sensitivity of the drainage test to detect changes in cognitive variables, and consequently improved the quality of the method.

Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers profile of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

2018 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Schirinzi ◽  
Giulia Maria Sancesario ◽  
Giulia Di Lazzaro ◽  
Alessio D’Elia ◽  
Paola Imbriani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers

scholarly journals Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ville Leinonen ◽  
Lata G. Menon ◽  
Rona S. Carroll ◽  
Donna Dello Iacono ◽  
Jeremy Grevet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Csf Biomarkers ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
Related Proteins ◽  
Selection Of Patients ◽  
Selection Of

The diagnosis of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is still challenging. Alzheimer's disease (AD), along with vascular dementia, the most important differential diagnosis for iNPH, has several potential cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers which might help in the selection of patients for shunt treatment. The aim of this study was to compare a battery of CSF biomarkers including well-known AD-related proteins with CSF from patients with suspected iNPH collected from the external lumbar drainage test (ELD). A total of 35 patients with suspected iNPH patients were evaluated with ELD. CSF was collected in the beginning of the test, and the concentrations of total tau, ptau181, Aβ42, NFL, TNF-α, TGFβ1, and VEGF were analysed by ELISA. Twenty-six patients had a positive ELD result—that is, their gait symptoms improved; 9 patients had negative ELD. The levels of all analyzed CSF biomarkers were similar between the groups and none of them predicted the ELD result in these patients. Contrary to expectations lumbar CSF TNF-αconcentration was low in iNPH patients.

Flow Void of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus of the Elderly: Can It Predict Outcome after Shunting?

Neurosurgery ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim K. Krauss ◽  
Jens P. Regel ◽  
Werner Vach ◽  
Freimut D. J??ngling ◽  
Dirk W. Droste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Flow Void

Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Neurosurgery ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelangelo Gangemi ◽  
Francesco Maiuri ◽  
Simona Buonamassa ◽  
Giuseppe Colella ◽  
Enrico de Divitiis
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Gait Disturbance ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Third Ventriculostomy ◽  
Duration Of Symptoms ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To define the role and indications for an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH). A series of 25 patients treated by endoscopic technique was analyzed, and the results were compared with those of 14 studies reporting patients treated by shunting. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with INPH were treated by ETV from January 1994 through December 2000. All were younger than 75 years of age, had a preoperative clinical history of 1 year or less, had prevalence of gait disturbance with scarce or mild dementia, had marked ventricular enlargement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and had intracranial pressure values ranging from 8 to 12 mm Hg. All were studied by a phase-contrast MRI flow study 1 month after ETV. The 14 reviewed series of patients treated by shunting (all published after 1980) each include more than 25 patients, for a total of 777 patients. RESULTS: The overall rate of neurological improvement after ETV in our series was 72% (including two patients reoperated on because of absence of flow in the MRI scan); this percentage is slightly higher than that found in the 14 series of shunted patients (66%). Gait disturbance showed a high rate of improvement when compared with other symptoms, both in our ETV study and in other shunting series. Postoperative complications occurred only in one patient (4%) with an intracerebral frontal hemorrhage and in 37.9% of patients from the series including shunted patients. CONCLUSION: In patients with INPH showing short duration of symptoms, prevalence of gait disturbance, and slight mental impairment, ETV provides similar results to those of shunting. We suggest performing ETV in these patients and reserving shunting only for those who do not improve after ETV, despite the presence of cerebrospinal fluid flow through the ventriculostomy on MRI flow studies. The good results after ETV in our series indirectly confirm that the cerebrospinal fluid absorption is good or at least sufficient in selected patients with INPH.

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