Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a condition that happens when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside your skull and presses on your brain. This condition is most likely in people over 65. It’s often treatable and sometimes even reversible.

Understanding the Context

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a neurological disorder caused by too much fluid pressing on the brain. WebMD explains causes, symptoms, and treatment options. NPH occurs if the normal flow of CSF throughout the brain and spinal cord is blocked in some way. This may be due to past injury, bleeding, infection, brain tumor, or surgery on the brain, or the cause is often not known.

Key Insights

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), also called malresorptive hydrocephalus, is a form of communicating hydrocephalus in which excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up in the ventricles, leading to normal or slightly elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a brain disorder in which excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the brain's ventricles, causing thinking and reasoning problems, difficulty walking, and loss of bladder control. Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) describes an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the hollow cavities of the brain. But in some cases, the cause is a lesser known – and potentially reversible – condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Characterized by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, NPH interferes with cognition, gait, and urinary continence.

Final Thoughts

Early diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is critical. NPH is a condition caused by an abnormality in the flow and absorption of spinal fluid –– known as cerebrospinal fluid –– in the brain’s ventricles.