title: Catamnestic study of cases with tardive decompensated hydrocephalus.
abstract: One hundred patients with decompensated hydrocephalus (60 operated, 40 nonoperated) were studied both retrospectively and prospectively at 3 moments of the disease course. The indicators were clinical: neurologic, psychic and social, and paraclinical: results of pneumoencephalography, encephalography, radioisotope cisternography. The effects of surgical treatment (ventriculocardiac derivation) and of medical treatment were evaluated at short and long term. In surgical treatment, favourable short-term outcome (headache, gait and micturition disorders, improved consciousness, psychomotor activity, social behaviour) was found in 88% of the patients; long-term favourable outcome was present in 60% of the patients and implied only the psychic and social indicators. In medical treatment the favourable short-term outcome was nonsignificant and the long-term outcome was favourable in only 32% of the patients. In the remaining cases evaluated as unfavourable, the cognitive disorders increased progressively. The predictors for favourable therapeutic outcome were: early diagnosis, early surgical intervention, the clinical form of hydrocephalus, the sequelae and short-term effects of surgical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arseni
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Simoca
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jipescu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sima
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moldovanu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies