Normal pressure hydrocephalus co-existing with a second dementia disorder

Joseph Alisky^1,2

¹Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, 1000 Oak Avenue, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA; ²Marshfield Clinic Thorp Center, 704 South Clark, Thorp, Wisconsin, USA

Abstract: An 87-year-old woman had both Lewy body dementia and normal pressure hydrocephalus simultaneously. One should not automatically exclude the possibility of normal pressure hydrocephalus simply because another neurodegenerative disorder is present, especially if the second disorder masks typical symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus. Better identification of dual diagnosis patients could lead to improvements in gait and incontinence following ventriculoperitoneal or lumboperitoneal shunting, even if the natural history of the other neurodegenerative disease remains unchanged.

Keywords: dementia, gait disorder, normal pressure hydrocephalus, Lewy body dementia, ventriculoperitoneal shunt