Vasopressin in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus and benign intracranial hypertension.
We have studied plasma and cerebrospinal fluid vasopressin (CSF-AVP) and osmolality in 28 patients with cervical or lumbar pain syndromes (control patients), 11 patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and in 5 patients with benign intracranial hypertension (BIH). Vasopressin concentration in lumbar CSF to a high extent reflected the actual ventricular CSF-AVP concentration. In all groups CSF-AVP was lower than plasma AVP. Mean CSF-AVP in the control group was 1.3 pg/ml +/- 0.1 (SEM). In the NPH patients, who all suffered from severe dementia, CSF-AVP level was not different from that found in the control group (1.4 pg/ml +/- 0.2). In contrast to the findings in the two other groups CSF osmolality in BIH patients was higher than plasma osmolality (P less than 0.0). CSF-AVP in the BIH patients, characterized by an elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), was higher than in the control group (2.7 pg/ml +/- 0.4, P less than 0.001).
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006850:Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010146:Pain / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D011559:Pseudotumor Cerebri / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D013577:Syndrome; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
D014667:Vasopressins