Hydrocephalus as a cause of dementia: evaluation by computerised tomography and intracranial pressure monitoring.

To identity those patients with hydrocephalus as a basis for their presenile dementia it is suggested that such patients be screened non-invasively by CT scan. If there is ventricular dilatation and small cortical sulci, intracranial pressure should be monitored for 48 hours to detect B' waves. Patients with significant B' waves (10 mmHg) for at least two hours in the day might benefit from a shunt.