Good outcome in patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus and factors indicating poor prognosis
Object The authors set out to describe the outcome in a subgroup of patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) in whom prognostic factors were poor. This subgroup of patients who had received shunts was selected according to strict criteria. Methods From a cohort of 56 patients with NPH in wh...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2005 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repositorio: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:2445/223406 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/223406 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Pacients amb lesions cerebrals Líquid cefalorraquidi Brain damage patients Cerebrospinal fluid |
| Sumario: | Object The authors set out to describe the outcome in a subgroup of patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) in whom prognostic factors were poor. This subgroup of patients who had received shunts was selected according to strict criteria. Methods From a cohort of 56 patients with NPH in whom shunts were placed, the authors selected a subgroup with four of the factors traditionally considered to indicate poor prognosis: idiopathic type, cortical atrophy, longstanding symptoms, and presence of dementia in addition to old age. Twelve patients met the inclusion criteria. After receiving shunts, 92% of the patients showed clinical improvement on the NPH scale; gait improved in 100% of patients, sphincter control in 90%, and dementia in 33%. Improvement was significant for gait and sphincter control, general NPH score, and most daily life activity scales. No significant differences regarding clinical, cognitive, or functional changes following surgery were found in comparison with the rest of patients (the good prognosis subgroup). Conclusions The clinical condition of patients with NPH who present with traditionally accepted markers of poor prognosis can improve after surgery, especially as regards gait and sphincter control. The authors assert that the presence of these markers should not be considered to be an absolute criterion for ruling out shunt surgery in cases of NPH syndrome. |
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