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Normal pressure hydrocephalus

**{{{Name|Normal pressure hydrocephalus}}}**
[[Image:{{{Image}}}\|190px\|center\|]] {{{Caption\|}}}
ICD-10	G91.2
ICD-O:	{{{ICDO}}}
ICD-9	331.9
OMIM	}}}
MedlinePlus	}}}
eMedicine	}}}
DiseasesDB	}}}

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a neurological disorder often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and senility. It brings incontinence, difficulty walking(ataxia-like wide-based gait), and memoryproblems. NPH stems from an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluidaround the brain enlarging ventricles and stretching the brain's tissues.

Some theorize that normal pressure hydrocephalus begins with inadequate reabsorption of cerebrospinal fluid at the level of the arachnoid villi. This results in distension of the ventricular system, which experiences a flux of higher pressure. Expansion of the ventricular system, particularly at the level of the lateral ventricles, causes traction on the sacral motor fibers that run in this region. This is the reason why patients typically experience gait and bladder disturbances. The dementia is thought to result from traction on limbic fibers that also run in the periventricular region.

NPH can be detected by magnetic resonance imagingor CT scan. A lumbar puncture, sometimes performed for diagnostic purposes, may reveal either a high or normal opening pressure.

NPH can be relieved by surgically implanting a shuntto drain excess cerebrospinal fluid to the abdomen where it is absorbed.

External links

About NPH
Patient’s Guide to NPH
eMedicine: NPH

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