Olfactory Dysfunction, an Often Neglected Symptom of Hydrocephalus: Experience from a Case of Late-Onset Idiopathic Aqueductal Stenosis

Disturbance of smell is often accompanied with common neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. In addition, patients with head trauma, intracranial tumors, and hydrocephalus can also develop olfactory dysfunction, and some of which can improve with treatment of the un...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Case reports in neurology 2023-03, Vol.15 (1), p.41-47
Main Authors: Yamazaki, Naoya, Hasegawa, Takafumi, Ikeda, Kensuke, Miyata, Ako, Osawa, Shin-ichiro, Niizuma, Kuniyasu, Kanno, Shigenori, Tominaga, Teiji, Aoki, Masashi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alzheimer's disease
aqueductal stenosis
Case reports
Cerebrospinal fluid
Comorbidity
Conflicts of interest
Dopamine
Endoscopy
Ethics
Gait
Hospitals
Hydrocephalus
hyposmia
Intracranial pressure
late-onset idiopathic aqueductal stenosis
Magnetic resonance imaging
Neuropsychology
Olfaction disorders
olfactory dysfunction
Parkinson's disease
Patients
Single Case – General Neurology
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Summary:Disturbance of smell is often accompanied with common neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. In addition, patients with head trauma, intracranial tumors, and hydrocephalus can also develop olfactory dysfunction, and some of which can improve with treatment of the underlying disease. In clinical practice, few patients complain of smell disturbances, thus olfactory dysfunction is often overshadowed by visible motor symptoms. Herein, we report a case of late-onset idiopathic aqueductal stenosis, a rare form of adult-onset hydrocephalus in which olfactory dysfunction and gait disturbance was markedly improved after endoscopic ventriculostomy. This case report is expected to make more physicians aware that hydrocephalus can cause olfactory dysfunction and that it can be corrected postoperatively. Furthermore, in addition to motor and neuropsychological function, olfactory function test might be useful for functional assessment before and after surgical treatment of hydrocephalus.
ISSN:1662-680X
1662-680X
DOI:10.1159/000529532