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["Endogeniform" affective psychoses and normal pressure hydrocephalus].
Psychiatrische Praxis
|September 1, 1992
Summary
Shunt surgery does not improve major depression-like symptoms in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). These affective disorders in NPH are generally unaffected by shunting unless part of a progressive Adams-Hakim syndrome.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a neurological condition.
- Affective psychoses, particularly major depression, can present in NPH patients.
- The efficacy of shunting for psychiatric symptoms in NPH is not well-established.
Observation:
- Four patients with neuroradiological evidence of NPH and depression-like symptoms were observed.
- Three patients underwent shunting operations after 2-6 years of observation.
- Follow-up ranged from 3-7 years post-surgery.
Findings:
- No clinical improvements in depression-like symptoms were observed post-shunting.
- Shunt operations did not influence major depression-like affective disorders in NPH.
- An exception noted was when these symptoms were part of a progressive Adams-Hakim syndrome.
Implications:
- Shunting for NPH may not alleviate co-occurring depression-like symptoms.
- Psychiatric management should be considered independently of shunting in NPH.
- Further research is needed to understand the NPH-psychiatry relationship and treatment outcomes.