Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Surgey in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Dont wait to shunt!

JNNP blog

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a misnomer as the intracranial pressure is increased, may be a debilitating disorder presenting with cognitive decline, gait abnormalities and urinary incontinence. Surgery may arrest and reverse the neurological deficits. The consequences of postponing shunting surgery remain unknown, although the eager neurologist may be reassured by the neurosurgeons that there may be time. In this issue of JNNP, Andren and colleagues dispel this myth and suggest that early intervention may be best and should be performed soon after the diagnosis. Importantly, all three deficits seemed to be impacted.

MUST READ http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/85/7/806.abstract

Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2014;85:806-810 doi:10.1136/jnnp-2013-306117