Hydrocephalus in a Patient with Alzheimer's Disease

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is an etiology of dementia that is reversible following cerebrospinal fluid shunt placement, however, surgical intervention not always clinically effective and the respons to shunt therapy is poorly understood. Furthermore, NPH is a source of comorbidity in diseases with neurodegenerative pathology, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD).

A 61-year-old woman presented to the neurology clinic with progressive gait difficulties and cognitive impairment over five years. Nine years after ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt treatment, the patient began to experience frequent falls. There was no improvement in clinical symptoms after the alteration of valve pressure on the VP shunt. An ¹⁸F-florbetaben amyloid positron emission tomography scan showed increased diffusion uptake over the bilateral cortices, precuneus, and posterior cingulate cortex.

The patient of NPH was unresponsive to shunt therapy due to the development of AD.