Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delay
Introduction: Normotensive hydrocephalus is a differential diagnosis in the evaluation of the dementia syndrome. The diagnostic protocols would allow detecting this pathology that has more effective treatment than other dementias. Objective: To describe a population with clinical suspicion of normal...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Instituto Nacional de Salud
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Biomédica: revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistabiomedica.org/index.php/biomedica/article/view/5382 |
| _version_ | 1818500202731929600 |
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| author | Alejandra Saldarriaga-Cantillo Viviana Yepes-Gaviria Juan Carlos Rivas |
| author_facet | Alejandra Saldarriaga-Cantillo Viviana Yepes-Gaviria Juan Carlos Rivas |
| author_sort | Alejandra Saldarriaga-Cantillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Normotensive hydrocephalus is a differential diagnosis in the evaluation of the dementia syndrome. The diagnostic protocols would allow detecting this pathology that has more effective treatment than other dementias.
Objective: To describe a population with clinical suspicion of normal pressure hydrocephalus evaluated in a Colombian psychiatric hospital and discuss the possible reasons for its diagnostic and therapeutic delay.
Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study of medical records to identify patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus during a 5-year period.
Results: Thirty-five patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus underwent diagnostic lumbar puncture and five of them were considered candidates for a peritonealvenous shunt, but none underwent this surgical procedure. After three to six months of the lumbar puncture, the gait pattern improved in 22.8% of the patients, cognition in 22.8%, and sphincter control in 11.4%. Improvement was not sustained in the long term (1 year) in any of them.
Conclusion: This study suggests the poor implementation of the protocols for evaluating patients with cognitive deficits and delays in the diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus. A small number of patients were identified as candidates for treatment.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a potentially reversible clinical entity with the placement of a peritoneal ventricular shunt, but delays in diagnosis and treatment have deleterious consequences for patients and their families. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:39:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fe9aa085c1584b2b9df1bd825a84f7d0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0120-4157 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:39:37Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Instituto Nacional de Salud |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomédica: revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud |
| spelling | doaj.art-fe9aa085c1584b2b9df1bd825a84f7d02022-12-22T01:34:25ZengInstituto Nacional de SaludBiomédica: revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud0120-41572020-12-0140465666310.7705/biomedica.53825382Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delayAlejandra Saldarriaga-Cantillo0Viviana Yepes-Gaviria1Juan Carlos Rivas2Escuela de Medicina, Universidad del Valle, Cali, ColombiaDepartamento de Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Psiquiátrico del Valle, Cali, ColombiaDepartamento de Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Psiquiátrico del Valle, Cali, Colombia; Departamento de Psiquiatría, Universidad del Valle, Cali, ColombiaIntroduction: Normotensive hydrocephalus is a differential diagnosis in the evaluation of the dementia syndrome. The diagnostic protocols would allow detecting this pathology that has more effective treatment than other dementias. Objective: To describe a population with clinical suspicion of normal pressure hydrocephalus evaluated in a Colombian psychiatric hospital and discuss the possible reasons for its diagnostic and therapeutic delay. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study of medical records to identify patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus during a 5-year period. Results: Thirty-five patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus underwent diagnostic lumbar puncture and five of them were considered candidates for a peritonealvenous shunt, but none underwent this surgical procedure. After three to six months of the lumbar puncture, the gait pattern improved in 22.8% of the patients, cognition in 22.8%, and sphincter control in 11.4%. Improvement was not sustained in the long term (1 year) in any of them. Conclusion: This study suggests the poor implementation of the protocols for evaluating patients with cognitive deficits and delays in the diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus. A small number of patients were identified as candidates for treatment. Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a potentially reversible clinical entity with the placement of a peritoneal ventricular shunt, but delays in diagnosis and treatment have deleterious consequences for patients and their families.https://revistabiomedica.org/index.php/biomedica/article/view/5382hydrocephalus/diagnosishydrocephalus, normal pressurespinal punctureageismdementiaprimary health care |
| spellingShingle | Alejandra Saldarriaga-Cantillo Viviana Yepes-Gaviria Juan Carlos Rivas Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delay Biomédica: revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud hydrocephalus/diagnosis hydrocephalus, normal pressure spinal puncture ageism dementia primary health care |
| title | Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delay |
| title_full | Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delay |
| title_fullStr | Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delay |
| title_full_unstemmed | Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delay |
| title_short | Normal pressure hydrocephalus: Diagnostic delay |
| title_sort | normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnostic delay |
| topic | hydrocephalus/diagnosis hydrocephalus, normal pressure spinal puncture ageism dementia primary health care |
| url | https://revistabiomedica.org/index.php/biomedica/article/view/5382 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alejandrasaldarriagacantillo normalpressurehydrocephalusdiagnosticdelay AT vivianayepesgaviria normalpressurehydrocephalusdiagnosticdelay AT juancarlosrivas normalpressurehydrocephalusdiagnosticdelay |