Treatment of hydrocephalus in adults

Abstract

The following patients with multiple complex diagnoses define the adult hydrocephalus population: (1) transition patients (previously treated for hydrocephalus as children), (2) adults with previously untreated congenital hydrocephalus, (3) adults with acquired hydrocephalus with an identifiable etiology, and (4) patients with suspected or proven idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus. Restricting the outpatient care or hydrocephalus clinic definition to a single hydrocephalus patient subpopulation limits our understanding of these patients and effectively abandons the remaining adult patients with hydrocephalus to a less focused and potentially less effective healthcare arrangement. A comprehensive adult hydrocephalus clinic model is described and recommended to advance our understanding of this diverse patient population, which will ultimately lead to the development and provision of a better standard of patient care.