Acute obstructive hydrocephalus due to brain-stem edema caused by hyperosmotic insult. Case report

The case of a 63-year-old man with acute obstructive hydrocephalus is presented. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of acute obstructive hydrocephalus associated with nonketotic hyperosmolar diabetic coma. It is believed that the plasma hyperosmolality resulted in osmotic endothelial injury leading to brain-stem edema.