scholarly journals A-255 Severe Psychological Dysfunction in a Neurologically Complex Patient during a Pre-Surgical Evaluation for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Shunt Implantation

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1050-1050
Author(s):  
Wisinger A ◽  
Fink J
Keyword(s):  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Focal Epilepsy ◽  
Executive Dysfunction ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Case Formulation ◽  
Shunt Implantation ◽  
Obstructive Sleep ◽  
Neurological Conditions

Abstract Objective Psychological syndromes like depression and anxiety are common in neurological conditions and lead to poorer quality of life and disability. However, these syndromes are often under-recognized in neurologic patients and are thus under-diagnosed due to overlapping symptomatology. Here, we report on a patient with a complex neurological history as well as clinically significant affective symptoms. Participants The patient is a 69-year-old Caucasian female recently diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus. Relevant medical history was significant for focal epilepsy with complex seizures, obstructive sleep apnea, and cerebrovascular accident. She underwent neuropsychological evaluation as part of a pre-surgical workup for shunt implantation. Results The patient’s neurocognitive profile was marked by significant impairments in most cognitive domains and she was not independent in activities of daily living. On self-report measures of current emotional functioning, she reported clinically severe levels of depression, anxiety, apathy, executive dysfunction, and disinhibition. During the clinical interview, she reported experiencing passive suicidal ideation as well as a significant history of traumatic experiences. Conclusion The psychological symptoms the patient was experiencing undoubtedly impacted her neurocognitive status and functioning abilities, though she was receiving no treatment for these symptoms. Addressing symptoms resulting from psychological syndromes in patients with neurological conditions is an important role for neuropsychologists, as accurate diagnosis of psychological syndromes can inform treatment recommendations and improve patient outcomes. This case illustrates the importance of documenting a thorough clinical history, including past psychiatric history, as well as a detailed examination of self-reported current psychological functioning as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological case formulation.

scholarly journals Normal-pressure hydrocephalus: A critical review

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Makarem Oliveira ◽  
Ricardo Nitrini ◽  
Gustavo C. Román
Keyword(s):  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Expert Assessment ◽  
Imaging Features ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
Urinary Infections ◽  
Obstructive Sleep ◽  
Surgical Treatments

ABSTRACT. Normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a potentially reversible syndrome characterized by enlarged cerebral ventricles (ventriculomegaly), cognitive impairment, gait apraxia and urinary incontinence. A critical review of the concept, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of both idiopathic and secondary NPH was conducted. We searched Medline and PubMed databases from January 2012 to December 2018 using the keywords “normal-pressure hydrocephalus” / “idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus” / “secondary normal-pressure hydrocephalus” / “NPH” / “ventriculoperitoneal shunt”. The initial search produced 341 hits. After careful selection, a total of 54 articles were chosen and additional relevant studies were included during the process of writing this article. NPH is an important cause of potentially reversible dementia, frequent falls and recurrent urinary infections in the elderly. The clinical and imaging features of NPH may be incomplete or nonspecific, posing a diagnostic challenge for medical doctors and often requiring expert assessment to minimize unsuccessful surgical treatments. Recent advances resulting from the use of non-invasive MRI methods for quantifying cerebral blood flow, in particular arterial spin-labeling (ASL), and the frequent association of NPH and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), offer new avenues to understand and treat NPH.

scholarly journals Aspirin is associated with an increased risk of subdural hematoma in normal-pressure hydrocephalus patients following shunt implantation

2015 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Birkeland ◽  
Jens Lauritsen ◽  
Frantz Rom Poulsen
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Subdural Hematoma ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Aspirin Therapy ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt ◽  
Survival Estimate ◽  
Therapy Regimen ◽  
Shunt Implantation ◽  
Increased Risk

OBJECT In this paper the authors investigate whether shunt-treated patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus receiving aspirin therapy are at increased risk of developing subdural hematoma (SDH). METHODS Records from 80 consecutive patients who had undergone implantation of a cerebrospinal fluid shunt for the treatment of normal-pressure hydrocephalus were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Eleven cases of symptomatic SDH occurred, all among patients receiving aspirin or clopidogrel. The 5-year survival estimate was 0.3 (p < 0.0001) for users of aspirin and the hazard ratio was 12.8 (95% CI 3.1–53). CONCLUSIONS Patients on an aspirin therapy regimen have a markedly increased risk of SDH after a shunt has been implanted for the treatment of normal-pressure hydrocephalus. Users of clopidogrel may have an even greater risk.

Neurological dementias

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Graham
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Limbic Encephalitis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Accurate Diagnosis ◽  
Autoimmune Limbic Encephalitis ◽  
Neurological Conditions

Dementia in old age is usually due to Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, or mixed pathology. Dementia due to other neurological disorders is uncommon, but important to recognise because management may be very different to that in primary or vascular dementia. This chapter surveys five neurological conditions that may present with dementia in later life: idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH); Huntington’s disease (HD); multiple sclerosis (MS); autoimmune limbic encephalitis (LE); and prion disease. For each disorder the epidemiology, clinical features, investigations & treatment are reviewed, with examples of the characteristic brain imaging changes. Accurate diagnosis of these conditions can be challenging even for physicians with a special interest in dementia, and often requires a neurological referral.

scholarly journals Frontal Behavior Syndromes in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus as a Function of Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarker Status

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 883-893
Author(s):  
Madison Niermeyer ◽  
Chad Gaudet ◽  
Paul Malloy ◽  
Irene Piryatinsky ◽  
Stephen Salloway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Executive Dysfunction ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Manifestations

AbstractObjectives:Cognitive impairment and apathy are well-documented features of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). However, research examining other neuropsychiatric manifestations of iNPH is scant, and it is unknown whether the neuropsychiatric presentation differs for iNPH patients with comorbid Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus iNPH without AD. This study aims to advance our understanding of neuropsychiatric syndromes associated with iNPH.Methods:Fifty patients from Butler Hospital’s Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Clinic met inclusion criteria. Caregiver ratings on the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe) were examined to appraise changes in apathy, executive dysfunction, and disinhibition. Patients also completed cognitive tests of global cognition, psychomotor speed, and executive functioning. AD biomarker status was determined by either amyloid-beta (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau to Aβ-42 ratio.Results:Results revealed clinically significant elevations on the FrSBe’s apathy and executive dysfunction scales and modest correlations among these scales and cognitive measures. Of the 44 patients with available neuroimaging or CSF draw data, 14 presented with comorbid AD. Relative to the iNPH-only group, the iNPH + AD group showed a larger increase from pre-illness to current informant ratings on the executive dysfunction scale, but not the apathy or disinhibition scales.Conclusions:These results replicate and extend prior research by identifying apathy and executive dysfunction as prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms of iNPH and suggest comorbid AD exacerbates dysexecutive behaviors. Future research is warranted to examine the effects of comorbid AD pathology in response to shunt surgery for iNPH, neuropsychiatric symptom changes, and resultant caregiver burden.

scholarly journals Timed up and go test at tap test and shunt surgery in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeki Yamada ◽  
Masatsune Ishikawa ◽  
Masakazu Miyajima ◽  
Madoka Nakajima ◽  
Masamichi Atsuchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt ◽  
Normal Pressure ◽  
Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus ◽  
Shunt Surgery ◽  
Timed Up And Go ◽  
Tap Test ◽  
Lumboperitoneal Shunt ◽  
Shunt Implantation ◽  
Percent Improvement

AbstractBackground:The 3-meter Timed Up and Go test (TUG) is a reliable quantitative test for assessment of gait and balance. We aimed to establish an optimal threshold of TUG at the tap test for predicting outcomes 12 months after shunt surgery in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).Methods:The TUG was measured in a total of 151 patients with possible iNPH before and after a tap test and 12 months after shunt surgery. Among them, 81 patients underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation (SINPHONI) and 70 underwent lumboperitoneal shunt implantation (SINPHONI-2). The areas under the curve (AUCs), sensitivities, and specificities for predicting shunt effectiveness were assessed.Results:The simple differences of time on TUG at the tap test were significantly more accurate for predicting shunt effectiveness than percent improvement of time. The highest AUC for the synchronized moving cutoff point of TUG time was 0.81 (sensitivity 81.0%; specificity 81.6%) at the threshold of 5 seconds in the SINPHONI-2. For predicting improvements of ≥10 seconds 12 months after lumboperitoneal shunt implantation, the AUC was 0.90, and the sensitivity and specificity at the threshold of 5.6 seconds were 83.3% and 81.0%. Only for patients with a <5-second improvement at the tap test, ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation conveyed significantly better improvements in TUG time 12 months after surgery than lumboperitoneal shunt implantation.Conclusions:An improvement of 5 seconds was a useful threshold of TUG time at the tap test for predicting a ≥10-second improvement 12 months after shunt surgery, rather than the percent improvement of TUG time.

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