40: Early diagnosis and treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus

The early diagnosis and treatment of normal pressure hydrocephalus ($50,000)

A grant was awarded to Dr George Razay, Consultant Physician/Senior Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine – Launceston General Hospital, to test fifty patients with NPH from the Launceston General Hospital Memory Disorders Clinic over a five year period. The research will involve the assessment of patients on a range of physical and mental tests both before and after surgery.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) is one of the few treatable causes of dementia and is the result of a build-up of fluid in the ventricles within the brain, causing them to enlarge. Patients develop difficulty with walking and become incontinent. Diagnosis of the condition is important because it can be treated by a small operation in which a shunt is inserted to drain the excess fluid from the ventricle into the abdomen, thus reducing the pressure within the brain. Once inserted, the shunt remains in place and regulates the flow of fluid from the ventricles. Some remarkable benefits have already been achieved.