Intracranial pressure in patients with dementia and communicating hydrocephalus

✓ Intracranial pressure (ICP) was monitored continuously for 48 to 72 hours in 12 patients with dementia and communicating hydrocephalus, to see if this would help determine which patients might benefit from surgical shunting of CSF, since not all such patients respond to treatment. Patients who showed variability of ICP improved following surgery, while patients with consistently flat ICP tracings did not. It is suggested that continuous monitoring of ICP may help identify cases suitable for surgery.