Evaluation of brain SPECT in the diagnosis and prognosis of the normal pressure hydrocephalus syndrome.

From January 1989 to September 1990 fourteen patients with the Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) syndrome were diagnosed in our Service. All patients were studied by CT-Scan, Radionuclide Cisternography and brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). In this series, the predictive value of the brain SPECT was assessed. A statistically significant relationship between SPECT patterns and clinical outcome was found. The patients who showed a Dementia Alzheimer Type (DAT) pattern on SPECT had worse results. The results are discussed and compared with those reported by other authors.