{"id":"f2f6ea12-9425-4fbc-924d-4bf309f4708e","slug":"patients-of-idiopathic-normal-pressure-hydrocephalus-have-small-dural-sac-in-cervical-and-upper-thoracic-levels-a-supposed-causal-association","title":"Patients of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus have small dural sac in cervical and upper thoracic levels: A supposed causal association","authors":["Takashi Kawahara","Kazunori Arita","Shingo Fujio","Nayuta Higa","Hiroki Hata","FM Moinuddin","Ryosuke Hanaya"],"abstract":"Background: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a neurological disorder presenting a triad including dementia and ventricular enlargement. The mechanism causing excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation in the ventricles in iNPH is poorly understood. We hypothesized that the age-related degradation of the spinal shock-absorbing system composed of a spinal dural sac (SDS) and surrounding soft tissue, preventing ventricular enlargement caused by wide CSF pulsation driven by heartbeats, may be involved in the ventricular enlargement observed in iNPH. Methods: Sixty-four patients with iNPH in their seventies who underwent a lumboperitoneal shunt and a control group of 79 people in the same age group who underwent brain check-ups were included in the study. We compared the sizes of the cervical and upper parts of the thoracic SDS using magnetic resonance imaging between the two groups. Results: The anterior-posterior distances of the dural sac at C5 were shorter in patients with iNPH of both sexes than those in the control group (P = 0.0008 in men and P = 0.0047 in women). The number of disc levels with disappeared CSF space surrounding the cervical cord was more in iNPH (P = 0.0176 and P = 0.0003). The midsagittal area of the upper part of the spinal sac, C2-Th4, was smaller in iNPH (P = 0.0057 and P = 0.0290). Conclusion: Narrowing of the cervical dural sac and midsagittal area in the upper part of the SDS in patients with iNPH may reflect the degradation of the shock-absorbing mechanism for CSF pressure pulsations, which may cause iNPH or at least aggravate iNPH by other unknown causes.","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/f2f6ea12-9425-4fbc-924d-4bf309f4708e/featured/hero-1781559917299.png","publishDate":"2023-11-10T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.25259/SNI_474_2023","categories":["General Neurosurgery","Original Article"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/api/articles/f2f6ea12-9425-4fbc-924d-4bf309f4708e/pdf"}