I'm having a tough time understanding the difference between normal pressure hydrocephalus, communicating hydrocephalus, and pseudotumor cerebri. If anyone could help me out I'd be mucho thankful
hydrocephalus
- Thread starter medman88
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Communicating = subarachnoid space is continuous with the ventricles (i.e. no blockage, such as aquaductal stenosis or Budd-Chiari).
Normal pressure is a type of communicating hydrocephalus. Increased intraventricular pressure --> increased ventricular size --> due to increased CSF production. However, ICP is not exceedingly high such that associated high-ICP Sxs occur.
As far as I'm aware, pseudotumor cerebri is just increased ICP due to generally idiopathic causes. However, I've seen a couple practice USMLE practice questions already where they like danazol as causing it. I think ~13% got that right on USMLE Rx when I had gone through that QBank. Danazol is also associated with peliosis hepatis.
good stuff as always man. however the reason I was asking was because Uworld defined normal pressure as when CSF is not absorbed by the arachnoid villi, and communicating as when there is a block in outflow, FA had it the other way around
U world also said pseudotumor was a problem with outflow at the arachnoid villi.
Just wondering if there any major ways to differentiate them in case they show up on the test....
Pseudotumor cerebri is almost always (on exams) a young fat female. In real life, women are 4-8 times more likely to get pseudotumor cerebri, tend to be obese, and are b/w 20-40ish years old. hope that helps too.
