MRI Measurements for Diagnosing Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Author Information
Author(s): Dana W. Moore, Ilhami Kovanlikaya, Linda A. Heier, Ashish Raj, Chaorui Huang, King-Wai Chu, Norman R. Relkin
Primary Institution: Weill Cornell Medical College
Hypothesis
The combination of ventricular volume and cortical thickness can improve the differential diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) compared to other conditions.
Conclusion
Quantitative MRI measurements of ventricular volume and cortical thickness can help distinguish NPH from normal controls, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.
Supporting Evidence
- NPH patients had significantly larger total intracranial volumes than other subjects.
- NPH participants had larger ventricular volumes than all other groups.
- The combination of ventricular volume and cortical thickness better distinguished NPH from other conditions.
Takeaway
Doctors can use special brain scans to tell if someone has a condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus, which can be tricky to diagnose.
Methodology
Participants included 5 with NPH, 5 with Parkinson's disease, 10 with Alzheimer's, and 10 normal controls, with MRI scans used to measure ventricular volume and cortical thickness.
Potential Biases
Subjective interpretation of MRI scans may introduce bias.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and used images from different MRI platforms.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 5 NPH patients, 5 PD patients, 10 AD patients, and 10 normal controls, matched for age and gender.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.006
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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