Normal pressure hydrocephalus: diagnosis and new approaches to treatment.

Impairment of gait occurs commonly in the elderly and has a profound impact on individual functional capacity and quality of life. Dementia and urinary incontinence are other common problems encountered in the elderly. In many circumstances, these problems are mutually exclusive, with treatments chosen to address each disease entity separately. When they appear over time in the same patient, however, these symptoms raise the possibility of normal pressure hydrocephalus.