Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

[Waysensei]

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Is it just me or does every other book define it differently?

FA 2009 has it synonymous with communicating hydrocephalus. HY Neuro has it as a separate entity from communicating, but using what I understood as the definition of communicating hydrocephalus (impaired absorption of CSF by the arachnoid villi). Goljan gives the most common cause as idiopathic, and just defines it as dilated ventricles with normal CSF pressure.

Who is correct? Will the real normal pressure hydrocephalus please stand up?

 

[kryptik]

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1150924-overview

 

[vicinihil]

My understanding is that it starts off as a communicating hydrocephalus then the brain makes room for it (I think due to some ventricular atrophy and enlarge)--> NPH which is characterized by the 3 W's...Wobbly Wacky and Wet.

 

[Waysensei]

According to the emedicine article linked above, it is a communicating hydrocephalus whose pressure normalizes, producing the wacky, wobbly, wet triad. Thank you.

 

[bluntdissector]

There's an interesting article in Medical Hypotheses (although I don't like the journal) about the mechanisms underlying it, which refers to the current theories - if you're interested!

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: Thoughts on etiology and pathophysiology
Medical Hypotheses, Volume 73, Issue 5, Pages 718-724
H. Chrysikopoulos