Surgical treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (literature rewiew)

Abstract

Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a pathological condition characterized by ventricular expansion in combination with normal intracranial pressure and manifested by a specific triad of symptoms, including gait disorders, cognitive disorders and urinary incontinence. The prevalence of the disease has not been fully studied and according to various population epidemiological researches reaches 0.3–3 % among patients older than 61 years. A feature that differs normal pressure hydrocephalus from other neurodegenerative diseases is the possibility of full or partial regression of neurological symptoms after surgical treatment. The most common surgical intervention for normal pressure hydrocephalus is ventriculoperitoneal shunting. It is an implantation of a system of catheters connected by pump-valve into the patient’s body, that drainage cerebrospinal fluid from ventricles to abdomen cavity. Correct and timely surgical treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus allows increasing the quality of life of patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus and, as a result, the quality of life of their relatives and friends.

Keywords

• normal pressure hydrocephalus
• cerebrospinal fluid
• ventricles
• ventriculoperitoneal shunting
• implantation
• shunt