Normal pressure hydrocephalus
What is normal pressure hydrocephalus? Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a significant disease that, if left untreated, can lead to dementia in later life. As age progresses, it causes impaired walking, speech difficulties, urinary incontinence, and increasing withdrawal. Treatment involves third ventriculostomy (ETV) or ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VP shunt) surgery.
It is estimated to be responsible for 6% of dementia patients.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is an insidious and progressive disease. It typically presents with three findings: gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, and dementia. In patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus, the ventricular system appears enlarged compared to normal individuals, but when measured, the cerebrospinal fluid pressure is within normal limits.
I also explained the relationship between normal pressure hydrocephalus and Pascal's principle in these programs.
In the program below, I've explained the treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus, topics related to ventriculoperitoneal shunts, and endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV). You can learn about the differences between normal pressure hydrocephalus in children and in adults.
Aging and Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Cord, and Spine
Aging is an inevitable reality. Don't neglect yourself as you age. What should we do to combat aging? Can some effects of aging be slowed down? How can we take precautions against dementia? At what ages are brain tumors most common? How do we know if we have developed spinal stenosis as we age? You can watch my conversation addressing these and many other topics related to aging on my YouTube page below.