Serial positron emission tomography findings in a patient with hydrocephalic dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Comorbidity of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not uncommon. However, few studies have reported the clinical courses of these patients in depth. A 73-year-old woman was confirmed to have AD by a biopsy performed during a shunt operation for NPH after a head trauma. She was followed for 4 years using serial neuropsychological tests and positron emission tomography (PET). Her clinical symptoms remained improved for 2.5 years and then declined. The 1-year minus the presurgical PET scan highlighted the bilateral frontal area, basal ganglia, and thalamus, which may reflect brain regions associated with the improvement of hydrocephalic dementia. On the other hand, the 1-year minus the 4-year scan highlighted the bilateral temporoparietal area and the posterior cingulate gyrus, which may reflect brain regions associated with the aggravation of AD. This subtraction method may be useful for monitoring the clinical course in patients with NPH and AD.
Jeong
Yong
Y
Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 ILwon-dong, Kangnam-ku, Seoul, Korea.
Chin
Juhee
J
Tae
Woo Suk
WS
Hong
Seung Bong
SB
Kim
Sang Eun
SE
Suh
Yeon-Lim
YL
Na
Duk L
DL
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006850:Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D013353:Subdural Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt