Radiological biomarkers of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: new approaches for detecting concomitant Alzheimer's disease and predicting prognosis

Abstract

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a clinical syndrome characterized by cognitive decline, gait disturbance and urinary incontinence. As iNPH often occurs in elderly individuals prone to many types of comorbidities, a differential diagnosis with other neurodegenerative diseases is crucial, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD). A growing body of published work provides evidence of radiological methods, including multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), which may help noninvasively differentiate iNPH from AD or reveal concurrent AD pathology in vivo. Imaging methods detecting morphological changes, white matter microstructural changes, cerebrospinal fluid circulation and molecular imaging have been widely applied in iNPH patients. Here, we reviewed radiological biomarkers using different methods in evaluating iNPH pathophysiology and differentiating or detecting concomitant AD, in order to noninvasively predict the possible outcome postshunt and select candidates for shunt surgery.